


The Power of Seven: The New Mission

by Kihonne



Series: Heroes in the Making: An Elite Force [9]
Category: Lab Rats (TV 2012), Lab Rats: Elite Force (TV), Mighty Med
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bionic Superhumans, F/M, Family, Friendship, Romance, Season/Series 01, Superheroes, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2020-01-05 22:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 113,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18375161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kihonne/pseuds/Kihonne
Summary: When Mighty Med is destroyed, Davenport sends his bionic children, Bree and Chase, along with former lab assistant Calla, to join forces with superheroes Dani, Kaz, Oliver, and Skylar to form the Elite Force. But as they work to track down the villains responsible, secrets and unknown dangers threaten to tear the team apart. Will they suffer defeat? Or will they emerge triumphant? Based off of the solo season of The Elite Force, but will contain other stuff.





	1. The Rise of Seven

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own mighty med, lab rats, or the elite force, or anything from the original TV shows. I only own this story, Calla, Dani, Jaden, any other OCs present, and anything else you don't recognize.

** Calla's POV **

I stepped out of the limo and onto the sidewalk, staring up at the massive skyscraper in front of me. The entire seemed to be made up of these massive towers, but this building was different. Not just because of the sleek, stylish design, or the fact that it stood high above the others, but because of the…special addition on the front of the tower, poking out from what I guessed was the 40-something-th floor.

"Is that your head?" I questioned, twisting around to give my boss, a Mr. Donald Davenport, a look. He chuckled, nodding.

"The building needed a little something." He replied.

"And what's better than a massive bust of your head?" Chase added jokingly, grabbing a couple of bags from the trunk of the limo. He walked over to me, handing me my duffle bag. "Here."

"Thanks." I smiled at him before looking back at the building. Davenport Tower. This was where Mr. Davenport and his brother Douglas had started their careers as inventors and entrepreneurs, and, for the foreseeable future, it was to be my home. Our home.

"Let's go." Bree insisted, adjusting her jacket and shouldering her own duffle bag. After thanking the chauffer, Mr. Davenport followed her inside.

"You ready?" Chase asked me, offering me his hand. I smiled and took it, my stomach full of butterflies, although whether it was nervousness or excitement, I did not know.

It had been a crazy week for all of us, that's for sure. Three days ago, I'd fallen asleep in my own bed at the Bionic Academy, where I'd previously worked as a mentor for the young, bionic students. But after the upgrade that Davenport and Douglas had given to the students, and after a brief kidnapping by the older Davenport's psychotic ex-girlfriend and the android enemy we'd made when we were sixteen, the students no longer needed us. So Davenport had made us an offer to help form a new team, to start on a new adventure. And while our beloved friends and family, Adam, Leo, and Jaden, had stayed behind in Mission Creek to handle things there, Bree, Chase, and I had agreed to come to Centium City to help Mr. Davenport with this new project.

"What floor are we going to?" Bree's voice drew me out of my thoughts as the elevator continued to rise, the numbers flashing across the screen above the doors growing higher and higher.

"The top one." Mr. Davenport grinned at her, clearly excited to show us our new home. Finally, the elevator stopped, the screen shining the number '110' at us in bold, red lines.

The elevator doors opened up into a tiny hallway, a stylish light fixture the only thing in room aside from a grey door a few feet away us.

"This is the 110th floor of Davenport Tower," my boss informed us as he pulled out a keycard and swiped it across the scanner, "and this is your new home."

The door opened and we all stepped inside, glancing around the room. It was just as stylish as him home back in Mission Creek (as both the friend of his kids and his son's girlfriend, I'd spent a lot of time in that mansion over the years), but with a brown, blue, and grey color scheme instead. The living room was large, with twice the amount of room that we'd actual need for the four of us, increasing my suspicions that we wouldn't be the only ones on this new team of his. The entire far wall was made of glass, giving us an incredible view of the city, and revealing a large terrace just beyond the kitchen.

"Eight chairs." Chase noted quietly, nodding at the large kitchen table. Sure enough, there was room for eight around the table, and more room at the kitchen island.

"This is incredible!" Bree exclaimed, looking around.

"Check out that view." Chase agreed.

"I love it already." I breathed, still looking around. I noticed two sets of stairs in the room, one near the kitchen area, and the other sitting between the front door and a sleek fireplace. A few feet away from the fireplace was a desk with a couple of chairs, a large computer screen in front of it.

"This is where I spent my years as a bachelor." Mr. Davenport reminisced nostalgically. "Oh, if these walls could talk…oh, wait. They can talk. Walls off! Walls off!"

"Amazing." I murmured, looking out the window. You could see the cars speeding through the streets below us, so very different than our little town in California.

"Hey, come out on the terrace for a second." Mr. Davenport urged us, heading towards the set of glass doors. "I want to show you something."

The doors opened up for as we walked out onto the terrace, the midday sun shining down on us. Just like inside, the terrace was nicely decorated, with a number of fake plants, a few beach chairs, and a small side table with a couple of comfortable looking chairs sitting next to it. In the middle, only a few feet away from the terrace's half-wall, was a massive, holographic emblem. It was shaped like a black shield, with a glowing blue outline, and the letters E and F, positioned back to back in large, bold silvery letters, sat directly in the middle, the top lines of their lettering poking out just past the edge of the emblem.

"This is holographic emblem represents your new team, or as I like to call it, an Elite Force." Mr. Davenport told us.

"Cool," Chase grinned. "So, when do we get to meet the others?"

Mr. Davenport smiled slyly at that. "Right now."

He reached forward and swiped his hand through the emblem. It began to spin wildly, glowing brighter and brighter until it disappeared in a white light, revealing the four people hidden behind it.

The first one, the one on the left, was a skinny guy with short brown hair. He wasn't particularly tall, I noted, not that much taller than Bree. On the right was a young woman with slightly curly brown hair, with the ends a much lighter shade than most of her hair. Just behind them was a taller, black haired boy with a serious expression on his face. And in front of all three of them was a tall girl with a short, auburn colored bob cut, the bangs falling into her face. All four of them appeared to be maybe a year or two younger than us, and were standing with their arms crossed, clearly trying to look heroic and cool or something.

I recognized all of them on sight; Oliver Short, Skylar Storm, Kaz Broadman, and Dani Short. We'd met Oliver, Skylar, and Kaz several months ago, due to Chase being seriously injured by an intruder in the Academy. The boys had worked at a hospital for superheroes (and I thought my job was the coolest one out there), and had offered to help save his life while Skylar helped Adam, Bree, and Jaden track down the intruder. As for Dani, I'd met her only a couple of weeks after that, at a Comic Con convention that went from cool to crazy after we were kidnapped by a giant and a lizard dude. I had to admit though, as much as I liked the four of them, I was surprised to see them here.

"Check it out! I used the 3D hologram wall! Kaz, Skylar, Dani, and Oliver had been standing here the entire time!" Mr. Davenport exclaimed gleefully. The four of them exchanged annoyed looks.

"Yes. Five hours, to be exact." Oliver told us, sounding impatient.

"Let's not forget the two hours of him telling us how to stand." Skylar added, equally annoyed. Mr. Davenport gave her a peeved look.

"Obviously we needed three hours, because you're still not doing it right." He retorted, adjusting where she was facing.

"It's great to see you." Chase told them before glancing at Mr. Davenport. "What are they doing here?"

"Mighty Med hospital was destroyed." Dani told us, her voice grave and her face solemn. We all looked at her, shocked and confused.

"What?" Bree demanded. Kaz sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hit a few buttons, then held it out for us to see.

It was a devastating picture, not a sight that was easy for us to see, and it must have been so much worse for them. It showed the remains of what appeared to be a massive building, most of it in ruins. The remaining, half-destroyed walls were coated in soot and ash, with flashes of red in the background to show that fires had still been burning when the photo was taken. The sky was pitch black, but without the stars or moon in sight, almost as if the smoke from the tragedy was blocking them out completely. I swallowed a lump in my throat, recognizing a large, red letter M on what was left of the far wall, the top right corner of the letter broken off completely.

"How…who?" I demanded, turning to the young doctors.

"We don't know." Kaz replied. He sighed. "We lost a lot of superheroes that we care about. We're not going to stop until we find whoever's responsible."

"They wanted to use my technology to track the criminals, but I had a better idea." Mr. Davenport told us. "To create one all powerful team combining technology, bionic heroes, and superheroes."

"Well, where are the superheroes?" Bree questioned.

"You're looking at them." Oliver told us, grinning. Skylar waved her hand at him, Kaz, and Dani. Chase, Bree, and I exchanged looks.

"You?" I questioned, trying not to sound skeptical. Kaz nodded.

"Oh yeah. Oliver, Dee, and I have superpowers now." He told us. Chase scoffed.

"What? Did you fall into a vat of radioactive waste?" He chuckled. "Wait, no, don't tell me! Bitten by a supernatural spider!"

"No." Oliver rolled his eyes. "While we were trying to stop my mother, also known as the supervillain Mr. Terror, from becoming the most powerful being on the planet, we made indirect contact with the Arcturion space rock, which gave us a variety of superhuman abilities."

I turned to Chase. "I love the rational explanations people come up with these days." I commented. Space rock? Seriously?

"A magic space rock?" Chase mocked them. "And was that delivered by a bunch of little green men?"

Skylar stepped up to him. "You do know that I'm from another planet, right?" She questioned, her tone challenging him to keep going with the jokes.

"I…do now." He walked back over to me. I laughed lightly.

"You're going to have to excuse Chase. If he can't explain it with science, it doesn't exist." I told them apologetically.

"C'mon, Calla." Chase rolled his eyes. "Do you really expect me to believe that these three have-"

Kaz cut him off, raising his fist to the air just for it to spontaneously combust. He aimed the flaming ligament at the fireplace in the living room and shot a ball of fire at it, his aim perfect. "But that-the human body can't-" Unsurprisingly, Chase was having difficulty processing what he'd just seen. He looked at Kaz warily. "I'm watching you, Fire-Boy."

"So, can you two shoot fire too?" Bree questioned, looking over at Dani and Oliver. They both shook their heads.

"No. Kaz has fire and heat powers, I've got water and ice, and Dani's got electricity and lightning." Oliver explained. "But, all three of us can do this."

Without any warning, the scrawny boy spun around and raced to the edge of the terrace, leaping over the barrier and into the open sky. "Oliver!" Bree screamed in surprise, racing to the edge along with Chase, Mr. Davenport, and I.

"I can't see him." I muttered, leaning as far over the edge as I dared, trying to catch a glimpse of him. What was he thinking, jumping off the building like that?

"Well, it was a good team while it lasted." Chase commented to Mr. Davenport. I sent him a glare – not cool, honey – but before I could say anything, Oliver came flying past us, through the air and in the direction of the top of the building. We all stared in amazement.

"He can fly?" I demanded, watching him soar. That was awesome!

"He's pretty good." Bree complimented.

"Wait for it." Skylar advised. Oliver came flying back down towards us, and I immediately realized the problem – he was going far too fast, and was quickly losing control. My theory was confirmed when he barreled straight into Chase, both of them hitting the ground hard.

"Sorry." Oliver apologized, rolling off of my boyfriend. "Still working on the landings."

"I can tell." Chase groaned, pulling himself to his feet. Bree and I exchanged looks. Just what had we gotten ourselves into?

** Kaz's POV **

I had to admit, this penthouse was dope. Even if Davenport was sticking seven of us under one roof together, I figured it would still be pretty freaking awesome given how much space there was.

"Hey, I got a question." While Davenport was on the second floor, preparing the bedrooms, the rest of us were hanging out in the living room, hanging out. Bree and Skylar was in the kitchen, chatting and trying to find something to eat, while Calla wad taken up residence on the couch, tucking her knees up to her stomach as she got comfortable. Chase was in the armchair, while Dani was on the empty end of the four-seater couch. I sat down next to her, and Oliver sat on the arm of the chair, next to his sister. "How did you guys manage to escape Mighty Med before it was destroyed?"

I glanced over at Oliver and Dani. I wasn't sure how much detail the twins wanted to go into about that day, especially the parts with Mort, so I kinda let them handle it. "We were off trying to capture our mother." Dani explained. She glanced at Oliver. "We got a lead that morning about one of her henchmen. But apparently, she leaked the lead on purpose though – somehow she must have gotten wind of the attack ahead of time."

"If it weren't for her, we would have been killed." Oliver agreed. Dani looked at him.

"Doesn't mean she's forgiven. And as soon as we deal with whoever attacked Mighty Med, we're going back after her." She commented coldly.

"Still, silver-lining." Oliver insisted. Bree frowned at him.

"You're an odd little man." She commented.

"Not the first time I've heard that." Oliver admitted.

"Usually from me." Skylar added just as Davenport came jogging down the stairs.

"Okay, sleeping quarters are all set. Boys, first door on the left. Girls first door on the right. Calla and Chase, yours is the second door on the right, and the guy who made it all possible," He jerked his thumbs at himself, "will be in the giant room at the far left. Stay out of my pool."

"Wait, why do they get their own room?" Dani protested.

"Because he likes us best." Calla reasoned. Dani gave her a look. "Also, four girls in one bedroom? The room's big, but that would be three beds, and a capsule."

"And at least this way, I can have Chase's capsule in the same room he's sleeping in most nights." Davenport added. He gave his son a look. "Don't think I don't know about you sneaking our of the mentor's quarters almost every night last year."

"Sorry?" Chase glanced at Calla, who flushed with embarrassment. Davenport grimaced in disgust.

"Just…be responsible." He made it clear it was the last time he wanted to discuss the matter.

"Well, I don't care that they get their own room. I'm just glad I finally get to share my room with girls instead of my brothers!" Bree commented, putting her arm around Skylar's shoulder and patting Dani's shoulder with her spare hand.

"Me too." Skylar agreed. "But just a heads up – I'm from another planet, so sometimes I spit acid in my sleep."

"Well that is still an upgrade compared to what comes out of my brothers." Bree insisted.

"It is." Calla agreed. I looked at Davenport.

"Hey, Mr. Davenport, when are we going to start searching for those guys who attacked our friends?" I questioned. We'd waited long enough to stop them. "Where's all that technology you promised us?"

"I am so glad you asked. Hyper-lift, open!" Davenport called. To our surprise, the fireplace split in two, the wall panels sliding apart to reveal a hidden elevator behind them. "IT'S A VOICE-ACTIVATED SECRET PASSAGE!"

"That is so awesome!" I grinned. "And it seems like such a fire-hazard!"

"I used the hydraloop technology to create an elevator that will take you from the penthouse to below the earth's surface instantly!" Davenport exclaimed proudly. I had no idea what a hydraloop was, but he seemed excited about it, so I didn't question it. "Step inside, and let me show you."

We all stepped inside the elevator. "Oh, wait." Oliver said suddenly. "I should probably tell you guys – I tend to get sick on any ride that has a big-DROP!"

He screamed the last words as we were sent plummeting to the bottom of the shaft. The landing was surprisingly gentle, considering the speed we were going at, but my best friend looked positively green.

"Whoa." I grinned as we stepped into the underground room. It was a large, black, octagonal room. Each one of the walls were black with lines of bright blue lights making a tic-tac-toe like pattern. All of the walls, except for this one and the one opposite of us, had large doorway-like shapes, but were blocked by large rock walls. In the center of the room, there was a circular high-tech table, with long high-tech desks on either side of it.

"And just like that, we're back in the basement." Bree commented, exchanging a smirk with Chase. While Dani, Oliver, Skylar, and I were all in awe of the technology around us, Calla and the two bionic siblings seemed perfectly at home. Hell, maybe this was exactly like wherever they grew up.

"This is your team's central nervous system." Davenport explained. "This is where you'll train, plan missions," I went to touch a green button on the circular table, or consol as I now realized it was, but he grabbed my hand before I could, "Learn what things do before you touch them."

"This is amazing." Skylar commented. Davenport nodded.

"Oh, and before I forget, MISS will be running mission command for you, since the people I usually have do it are still at the Academy." He added.

"Who's MISS?" Dani questioned.

" _That would be me, Miss Danica."_  A disembodied, female voice replied. Dani froze, and began looking around.

"Okay, first of all, it's Dani, not Danica." She corrected before staring at Calla and Chase. "And who said that?"

" _Apologies, Miss Dani. I am MISS. I am the artificial intelligence system that runs the penthouse and mission control. I am here to aid all of you with whatever you need."_  The disembodied voice told her soothingly.  _"I was created by Miss Calla last year."_

Oliver looked at Calla. "You have seen Age of Ultron, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. MISS is more like Friday than Ultron or Jarvis. There are parameters in place to keep her from going rogue and killing anyone."

Suddenly, Davenport's phone began to ring. "Excuse me. I have a very important Daven-call to take." He excused himself, heading for the elevator.

"Why didn't he just take it down here?" Bree questioned.

"Probably because the signal sucks." Dani replied, holding her phone up with a frown. "I'm barely getting two bars."

"Alright, let's head out and start searching for the lowlifes who destroyed Mighty Med." I declared. It had already been two weeks since those lowlifes got away, and we needed to find them.

"But, we don't even know where to start." Oliver reminded me.

"We have to look somewhere. We'll go city by city, starting here." I decided. I looked at the Calla, Chase, and Bree. "You guys take uptown, we'll take downtown."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We don't just go looking for people randomly." Chase stopped us. "We have to devise a plan fire."

I frowned. Was he deaf or something. "We just did. Uptown, downtown…I don't really know any other parts of town, so plan commenced."

"Well, why don't we do this: we try and figure out who's responsible before we go blindly looking for bad guys?" Calla suggested. "Even if we found a bad guy while looking, we could easily end up getting the wrong guy. If we figure out who's really responsible first, then we can figure out their weaknesses, prepare a strategy, and take them out easier."

"That's smart." Skylar agreed, nodding.

"So, where do we start?" Dani questioned. Chase walked over to one of the desks.

"Well, first we'd need to know who the target was. Was it all of Mighty Med, or one of the heroes inside?" He looked at us. "How many heroes were inside?"

"All of them." Dani replied grimly. "It was the 400th anniversary. There was a party."

"All of them?" Calla nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, what about the villains? Any recent escapees from wherever you keep your villains? There was a breakout from the USPEI a couple of weeks ago, but the rest of the bionic heroes at the Academy are reigning them in, and none of them would be powerful enough to do something like this."

"No, no break outs." Oliver replied.

"Then let's get a list of the villains we know are on the lamb. Then, we can decide which ones could be capable of doing that much damage, and work our way out from there." Bree decided. I nodded in agreement, once again thinking that Skylar's idea of calling Davenport was a good one. Calla, Chase, and Bree had been fighting bad guys for years – they knew how to handle something like this better than we ever could.

"Here. My Mighty Med account will have access to the files." Dani walked over to the desk, accessed the top secret site, and entered her password before letting Chase take over again.

"Okay, the cyber desk is compiling a database of the villains." Chase announced before looking at us. "In the meantime, we still need to know more about you guys."

"Well, I'm 5'10, I'm a hearty mix of Irish and German, and I've been known to lie about my height." I told him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dani crack a smile, amused.

"I think we meant what other powers do you have?" Calla corrected.

"Well, Ollie and I have twin telepathy." Dani supplied.

"Oh, like K-Dog and Rio." Calla smiled.

"Sure." Dani nodded. "I have no idea who those people are, but sure."

"And I have super strength." Oliver added. Bree scoffed.

"You?" She questioned, not believing him at all.

"Yes, me." Oliver retorted, sounding offended. "Why does everyone act so surprised when I say that?"

"Because we can see your ribcage through your shirt." Skylar reasoned.

" _I hate to interrupt you, Miss Skylar, but Mr. Davenport is requesting everyone's presence on the main floor. Immediately."_ MISS announced.

"Let's go see what the old man wants." I sighed.

** Calla's POV **

"About time." Mr. Davenport commented when we reached the top floor. He was standing near the fireplace/elevator, holding that creepy picture of him surrounded by his money. "Some strange is going on."

"Whoa, that is strange!" Skylar agreed, pointing at the painting. I grinned; oh, she was going to fit right in around here.

"Not that. Outside." Mr. Davenport nodded towards the windows. "Something flew by the window."

"I know something that's gonna fly out the window." Bree commented, taking the picture from him and heading towards the verenda.

"I'm serious." Mr. Davenport insisted. "There is something out there."

Confused, we all stopped, looking out the window. For a moment, there was nothing…then, I heard a strange whirring sound. "Get down!" Chase shouted. Skylar and I both ducked down, behind the kitchen counter, with our hands over our heads to protect ourselves as the massive glass windows shattered, their shards flying inwards. Kaz and Chase both leapt over the couch in their attempt to escape the glass, while Oliver, Dani, Bree, and Mr. Davenport, the farthest from the windows, darted backwards several steps, out of harm's way.

"Everyone okay?" I asked when the glass stopped falling. There was a series of affirmatives as we began to check out the wreckage.

"Oh, man! My salsa!" Kaz complained, holding up the bowl of salsa he'd grabbed earlier. There were glass shards dipped in the red sauce.

"Yes, because that's the worst of the damage." Mr. Davenport commented sarcastically before looking back at the broken windows.

"Hey, check it out." Dani commented, walking around the couch. "There's something on the floor."

"Yeah, about $36,000 worth of glass." Mr. Davenport commented.

"No, it's some sort of gift box." Dani replied, lifting a small, black box of the ground. It was ordinary in appearance, with a small yellow tag on the top. She went to open it, but thankfully, Kaz stopped.

"Dee, stop!" He told her, placing his hand over the box. "What are you doing? You gotta open the card first."

"Don't open anything." Chase told them, snatching the box away from Dani. "It could be rigged to blow this place apart. I'll use my bionic eye to scan it." He raised two fingers to his temple, then focused his gaze on the box. "It's a flash drive."

"We can download its contents onto MISS' hard drive. She'll check for any form of malware, then show us its contents in Mission Command." I decided, taking the box from Chase.

"Who would blast our penthouse just to toss a flash drive through the window?" Bree asked, frowning.

"That's why you gotta open the card first." Kaz insisted.

** Kaz's POV **

"It's a video message." Calla announced from the behind the cyber desk. "MISS, play it up on the big screen."

" _Right away, Miss Calla."_ MISS agreed. A TV screen slid down from the ceiling above one of the rock walls. An image appeared on it, featuring two guys standing in what I think was an alleyway, or maybe a subway tunnel. The walls were chalk full of colorful graffiti, with a small area with barred doors that looked like a tiny prison cell. It was impossible to identify the two guys on the screen – both were wearing dark, nondescript clothing and black masks that covered their entire faces.

" _Destroying your little hospital was just the beginning."_ One of the guys announced. His voice seemed wrong almost, like they were using voice disguisers.  _"We're on the hunt for every superhero that remains, and soon, they will all be extinct."_

" _And once you've watched us eliminate them, we're coming for you, Oliver, Dani, Kaz, and Skylar."_ I gulped nervously. These guys had targeted us specifically, but why?  _"And anyone else dumb enough to protect you."_

"Who was that?" Oliver demanded once the video ended. He looked at me. "And don't say check the card first."

"Whoever it was, it's obvious they've been watching us." Chase commented. Davenport nodded.

"I'm going to go activate the penthouse security perimeter, and get those windows replaced." He decided, walking into the hydrolift. I sighed irritably.

"See?" I looked at Chase. "This is exactly why I wanted to go out and find them first!"

"As soon as we finalize a plan-" He began, but I cut him off.

"Forget your plan!" I snapped. All they did was plan. What we needed was action. We couldn't just sit on our asses and wait for the bad guys to destroy us! "If we don't stop them, they're going to take out every last superhero! Including us!"

They'd already killed over a hundred heroes. There weren't many of us left, and I couldn't let those murders take away anyone else we cared about.

"Kaz," Calla said calmly, placing her hand on Chase's when he looked like he was going to snap back. "They're going to take us out a lot faster if we go into this thing unprepared. We want to find them too, but we have to be smart about this."

"She's right, Kaz." Bree agreed. "We have no idea what we're up against. We have to be careful."

"Skylar," I turned the former superhero. "Back me up on this."

"We'll get them." She promised me. "It's just going to take some time."

"Dani?" She was always up for doing something without a plan, and I'd be lying if I said she hadn't been preparing for a fight since the hospital was destroyed.

"I'm sorry. I'm with them." She told me, biting her lip.

"Oliver?" Best friends had each other's backs, always, right? But to my surprise, he shook his head. "Oh, come on! Not you too!" I turned to all of my friends. "Guys, we have to do this! For Mighty Med." The 'For Horace, Alivia, and Jaime' part went unspoken, but I knew they were thinking it too.

"I know." Oliver agreed. "I just…I think we should play it safe."

"Safe?" I echoed. Did he not remember what those guys did to Mighty Med? To all the more experienced heroes? How could he suggest that not doing anyway was the way to go? How could he not see the danger we were in? "None of us are safe with those two on the loose!"

"Kaz," Bree tried to intervene, but I didn't let her.

"You know, I never thought being part of an Elite Force would mean sitting around and doing nothing!" I spat before storming off. Fine, whatever. If they weren't going to do anything about this, I would.

** Calla's POV **

"I thought you and Chase would be enjoying your new room." I looked up from my book to see Bree standing over me, two steaming cups in her hands.

"Nah. He has to sleep in the capsule every two or three nights, remember? Don't want to risk a glitch." I replied, closing the book and placing it on the side table. "Beside, I couldn't really sleep."

"The room not up to your standards?" She teased as she handed me one of the cups of hot cocoa and sat down on one of the grey stools next to me. I laughed lightly.

"It's perfect, actually." I replied. It really was; it was large and stylish, with a comfortable queen-sized bed for Chase and I too share and a fireplace on one way with a love seat in front of it. There was a desk in the corner of the room, and Chase's capsule in the other, with the wall opposite of both of them being made completely out of glass, giving us the most beautiful view of the city. And on the wall, there were at least a dozen photos, all from our time in Mission Creek with our friends and families. "And yours? What's it like sharing with Dani and the alien girl?"

"Surprisingly normal. Two bed, a capsule, and a TV. The couch in there is pretty comfy too." Bree replied. She looked at me, grinning. "And, Mr. Davenport put curtains on my capsule, for extra privacy."

"Nice." I grinned back. I looked past her to see Dani wandering down the stairs. "Want to join us?"

"Uh, sure." The short haired girl agreed, looking surprised to see us up. I glanced at the clock as Dani sat down on the couch opposite of us. Dang, past midnight already. "So, Skylar's snoring woke you too?"

"Yep." Bree nodded. I looked at her.

"You're capsule is soundproof." I told her. She nodded.

"I know." She agreed.

"Damn." I sipped at my hot cocoa. "As for me, I've just…been thinking." I looked at Bree. "Honestly, I'm terrified that Adam's already gone and destroyed the entire Academy."

"Nah, I just talked to Jaden. They're still standing." She assured me. "He says 'hey', by the way."

"Jaden? That's your boyfriend, right?" Dani asked. Bree nodded.

"Yeah. Mr. Davenport needed him to stay back in California while we came here to deal with what happened to Mighty Med." Bree explained. She frowned. "By the way, whose idea was it to call him for help? I'm just curious."

"Skylar." Dani replied. "She thought, since the guys saved Chase's life, that he might lend us some tech. We didn't expect him to make a team out of it. Thanks, by the way, for coming."

"We're all in this together now." I told him. I hesitated before continuing. "I have to ask. When we met up at Comic Con, there were two other girls with you. Jaime and Alivia."

Dani closed her eyes for a moment before continuing, her voice rough. "Spark and Geminus. Um…Jaime's definitely gone. We found her at Mighty Med. Liv…she wasn't still there when we got there, but…Ollie found her mask, covered in blood, and she was already injured before the attack…" She sighed. "We don't know, but the chances of her surviving…they're low."

"I'm so sorry." Bree told her, apologetically. Dani nodded, biting her lip. I cleared my throat, trying to think of a different topic to change the conversation to. I'd spoken to Skylar before everyone went off to bed, and had asked her about not just Mighty Med, but also what happened with that Quimby Fletcher situation, and judging by what she told me, Dani and the rest of them had been through a very difficult month.

"So, what do you guys think of the penthouse so far?" I asked, smiling cheerfully, hoping to get her mind off the bad stuff. Before she could answer, Mr. Davenport came walking down the stairs.

"Hey, what are all of you still doing up?" He asked.

"Skylar snores." "Hoping that Adam hasn't killed anyone yet." We all replied. He looked at me.

"He won't kill anyone." He told me sternly.

"You left him in charge. There's no saying what he will or won't do." Bree pointed out.

"Relax. He may think he's in charge, but Rio's got a good handle on the situation." He assured us. Suddenly, Oliver came running down the stairs.

"Mr. Davenport!" He exclaimed. "I can't find Kaz. I thought he was in his bed snoring, but it turned out to be Skylar down the hall."

"Damn it, Kaz." Dani muttered, standing up.

"I bet he went off to find those guys on his own." I decided.

"I'll use my super speed to bring him back." Bree offered. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"Oliver, go wake Chase and Skylar." The younger boy nodded and ran back up the stairs. Mr. Davenport looked at Bree. "If you're not back with Kaz in two minutes, I'm going to have them track you on your GPS locator."

Bree laughed. "Please. With my upgraded speed, I can search the entire city in less than 30 seconds."

"Oh, I'm so fast!" Mr. Davenport mocked her. "Well, then, go!"

"Okay!" Bree rolled her eyes before speeding off to find Kaz.

** Kaz's POV **

"Okay, if I can find the costume shop that sold those guys their masks, maybe I can track them down." I muttered to myself, walking down an empty alley. Surprisingly, it hadn't been that hard to break out of the penthouse – all I needed was an open window. I pulled out my phone and quickly checked how many costume shops there were in the city. I figured, it's a big city, so there's probably gonna be maybe four or five different ones. But when I saw the real number, it shocked me. "Eighty-six costume shops in one city? What are you people trying to hide?"

I turned to head in the direction of the first costume store, when suddenly, a black cloud descended from the sky. It flew down in front of me, then morphed into a human being. Specifically, one of the human beings from the video. "Ah!" I let out a surprised shout as another cloud did the same. I gulped nervously, but forced an easy-going smile on to my face. "I mean, aha! I found you!"

The two guys looked at each other, then pulled of their masks, revealing their faces. I recognized the black haired guys instantly "Wait, you're Roman and Riker. You're dad is the superhero Rodissius." Why would they have attacked Mighty Med?

"Was a superhero." Roman, the taller, buffer of the two corrected. "Until you got your hands on him at Mighty Med."

"What are you talking about? We saved his life." I frowned, confused.

"You took away his powers." Riker reminded me, glaring.

"We had no choice. Sacrificing his powers was the only way to save his life." I retorted, defending our decision.

"You took away the only thing that made him special, and forced him to live his life as a Normo." Roman growled. "That's a punishment far worse than death."

"Well, that's a warped way of looking at things, but alright."

"Our father may not have the power to take revenge, but we do." Roman continued.

Suddenly, Bree appeared beside me, seemingly out of nowhere. "There you are!" She exclaimed, annoyed, before she noticed Roman and Riker. "Hello." She smiled at them.

"They're the guys who destroyed Mighty Med." I informed her.

"Oh, c'mon!" She exclaimed. "Why are the bad ones always so cute?"

"Okay, Bree, you can go." I turned around to face her. "I got this."

"You sure?" She looked behind me. I turned to see that Roman and Riker had shapeshifted into a massive black cloud. Damn shapeshifters. Always hated them.

"You know, on second thought, Bree, would you mind sticking around?" I asked, chuckling nervously.

"Now you see why it's a bad idea to run off without a plan?" She scolded.

"In hindsight, probably not my best decision." I admitted.

"Hey!" I looked over my shoulder to see Oliver, Dani, Skylar, Calla, and Chase run up behind us. "What is that thing?"

"Meet the guys who destroyed Mighty Med." I told them. "They're shapeshifters."

"Oh, okay." Chase nodded before frowning at me. "What the heck are shapeshifters?"

"They can morph into anything." Dani supplied, eyes wide as she stared at the cloud. "A person, a thing, and apparently, a deadly black cloud."

"Get down!" Skylar shouted. We all ducked as the cloud shot at us, barely missing our heads. I stood up first and shot a burst of flames in Roman and Riker's direction, making the cloud back off for the time being.

"Chase, no would be a great time for one of your plans." I looked at the genius. He stared at me incredulously.

"Oh, now you want a plan? If you had followed my plan in the first place, we wouldn't even be in this mess!" He snapped, ticked off.

"I didn't ask you guys to show up!" I retorted.

"I didn't want to show up!" Chase snapped back. "Calla made me."

"Uh, guys?" Calla interrupted us. "Where'd they go?"

I looked up, and to my surprise, the cloud was gone. "I can still hear them." Skylar murmured. Calla subtly pulled a high-tech blaster out of her back pocket and held it tightly between her hands. We all backed up slowly, until we were circling the alley while simultaneously covering each other's backs.

"Uh, guys?" Chase said after a long moment. He was staring upwards at the sky. I followed his gaze, only to spot the massive, dangerous black cloud. None of us had a chance to react before it crashed down on us, the force of the impact sending us all flying in different directions.

I felt myself flying through the air, involuntarily, before crashing into something hard and heavy. And then, everything went black.

** Calla's POV **

"Ah." I hissed as I slowly sat up. Those shapeshifters had thrown all of us across the alley, and I was pretty sure I hit my head on the corner of a dumpster. Judging by the way everyone seemed to be just moving now, I figured we'd all been knocked unconscious.

"Is everybody okay?" Chase asked, making his way over to me. He held out his hand and helped me up.

"Think so." Kaz commented, rubbing his head as he himself climbed to his feet.

"Did we win?" Dani asked hopefully.

"Wait" Oliver paused, looking around in confusion. "Where's Skylar?"

Sure enough, the alien girl was nowhere to be seen. "Skylar!" Bree called, a hint of worry in her tone. Oliver looked around worriedly, then looked at us.

"They took her." He said simply.

** Xxx **

"I can not believe you let them take Skylar!" Mr. Davenport shouted, glaring at us. Well, actually, he was looking primarily at Chase. "All because you couldn't work together at a team."

"It's not my fault." Chase retorted, jerking his head at Kaz. "He's the one who took off on his own."

"I don't care." Mr. Davenport told him sternly. "You're their leader. It's your responsibility to look out for them."

"No, Chase is right." Kaz interrupted him before he could continue. We all looked at him in surprise. "I let my emotions get the best of me." He looked at Chase. "From now on, we work together instead of against each other."

"Agreed." Chase nodded and the boys fist-bumped, sealing the deal.

"Good." Mr. Davenport still looked annoyed though. "Now, how do we find Skylar?"

"Without a way to track her, it's almost impossible." Chase sighed.

"Almost being the key word." Dani added, looking at him expectantly. "That means there is a way."

"They could have taken her anywhere." Chase commented, frowning.

"Well, whatever we do, we have to move fast." Bree looked at us. "Without her powers, she doesn't stand a chance against those guys."

"Not on her own, at least." I agreed, moving over to the cyber desk. "Let's check the video again. Maybe we missed something."

"Don't bother." Chase told me. I ignored him, bringing the video up on the screen. "I scoured every frame of that video. There's nothing there that can help us."

"Not even that faded number on the sign behind them?" Oliver pointed out, looking at the screen. I frowned, then used the cyber desk to zoom in on the number. Chase scoffed, obviously having missed the sign the first time.

"Oh, come on!" He exclaimed after a moment. "Do you have some mystical super power that allows you to see that?"

"Yeah, it's called eyesight." Oliver replied, shaking his head at my boyfriend.

"There's more to the number, but it's covered in dirt." I muttered, unable to properly read the number. I glanced at Chase. "Baby, you mind?"

"I can do a spectral isolation scan to contrast the elements." He explained to the others. "It'll let us see what's underneath the dirt."

He raised his fingers to his temple and scanned the image. "It's the subway station at 128th street."

Mr. Davenport frowned. "There is no subway station at 128th street. I mean, there was one 40 years ago when I was…" He suddenly looked self-conscious, "…ten years from being born. But the city abandoned it after a really bad flood."

"Wait. Shape shifters natural dwell in dark, cavernous spaces." Kaz realized. He looked at Oliver. "That must be where they're keeping Skylar."

"Let's go." Dani decided. Chase nodded in agreement.

"I'll send the directions to your chip." Mr. Davenport told him. "You can still get there through an old underground tunnel. I used to play there 40 years ago when I was-You know, I'll just send you the directions."

** Kaz's POV **

"Alright, Mr. Davenport's directions lead this way." Chase whispered, his tone purposely lowered as we neared Roman and Riker's lair. The six of us snuck along, ready to attack the shapeshifters on sight.

"You won't get away with this." I heard Oliver let out an audibly sigh of relief at the sound of Skylar's voice. "My team will find me."

"I'm sure they will." Roman replied, his tone cocky. "But it'll be too late for you. By the time they get here, we'll be on to our next superhero. And the next, and the next, until all of you are destroyed."

"Not gonna happen." Oliver muttered before bursting out of our hiding spot. We followed him into the station, where we confronted Roman and Riker. Both of the shapeshifters stood in front of that cell from the video, Skylar trapped inside. She beamed, gripping to the bars, when she saw us.

"Told you." She smirked smugly at Roman.

"Look who it is." He smirked as well.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your lives." Riker told us.

"Let's do this, brother." Roman held out his hand to his siblings. Recognizing this as their way of shapeshifting together, I looked back at Chase, awaiting his plan.

"Oliver, use your strength to free Skylar." Chase ordered. Oliver didn't need to be told twice, as he was already climbing onto the platform in his rush to be his crush's hero. He wasted no time, pulling the entire rack of bars out of their hinges with ease. She stepped out, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"Stop looking so surprised!" He exclaimed, hurt by the shock on her face.

"Oh, great. They're doing their dust bunny thing again." I announced, drawing their attention back to the giant cloud in front of us.

"I got this." Dani announced. She stepped in front of us and raised her hands, sending sparks and strings of electricity outwards. However, the moment she started using her powers, the cloud raced towards us, ducking past her and circling us. It turned into a ring of smoke, gaseous enough to float through the air and be impossible to fight, but solid enough to beginning pushing at us, forcing us all into the center of the quickly moving ring.

"They're creating a ring of centrifugal force around us!" Chase shouted as the ring began to move faster and began to grow tighter. Already, it was almost impossible to move, with all of us being squeezed together painfully.

"Guys, if we don't do something fast, the force will crush us." Bree gasped out.

"Not gonna lie." Oliver smiled as he was pushed up against Skylar. He smiled at her. "Kind of okay with it."

She rolled her eyes. "Wait." Chase said suddenly. "If shape shifters change their form by manipulating their molecular structures-"

"Then there has to be a way to freeze the molecules and stop the swarm!" I exclaimed, realizing what he was getting to. "Oliver, you have ice powers! Use your cryoblast!"

"Right!" Oliver agreed. He raised his hand as best as he could, and it began emitting a cold, blue light. The ring began to grow lighter, black turning to dark grey, turning to lighter grey.

"Keep going!" Calla encouraged. Oliver continued for another couple of moments, until the ring froze completely, Roman and Riker's black cloud trapped inside. It clattered to the ground, too thick to shattered.

"It worked." Dani commented, surprised as she stepped over the ring. She looked at Chase and I. "Nice plan, guys."

"Always the tone of surprise." I teased her, ducking forward for a kiss. She smiled against my lips, her soft pink ones moving against mine eagerly.

"Good job, guys." Bree agreed as I pulled away. I nodded, then turned to Chase.

"Dude, that was a great idea to mess with the molecular structures." I complimented him.

"It was your idea to freeze the molecules." Chase offered in return.

"Yeah, but you're the one-" I was cut off by Dani, midsentence.

"Calla, I think you and I might have some competition." She commented, smirking at Chase and I. Calla nodded.

"It seems we might." She agreed jokingly.

"Guys, get together." Bree urged us, pulling out her phone. "Our first victory selfie!"

Taking the photo wasn't very easy with all seven of us. There were just too many of us, Bree and Dani were hogging the screen, and someone – Calla – was too short to be anywhere but the front of the group. But eventually, we got it done.

"Sweet. First mission completed!" I grinned.

"Uh, not quite." I turned to look at Dani, but she was staring at the iced ring. "Look."

At first, I didn't know what she was talking about, but then, with a sickening click in my head, I realized exactly what the problem was: there was a crack in the ring, and the cloud inside it had disappeared. Roman and Riker had escaped.

"Mr. Davenport's not going to be happy about this." Calla commented, frowning at the ice ring.

And she was right.

Upon returning to the penthouse, and explaining what had happened, Davenport was furious.

"They got away?" He demanded. Everyone else was sitting on the couch or one of the various seats while I searched for a bottle of water in the kitchen.

"Yes, but this time, it was because we were too good of a team." Chase replied, grinning.

"Oh, and we have a very cute selfie that captured the exact moment they escape." Bree added, pulling out her phone and showing him the picture. Oliver looked over her shoulder, then nodded, smiling.

"That is a good one." He agreed. "You can't even see my ribs."

Davenport just looked at us, clearly wondering whether or not it would have been better to just scrap the entire Elite Force idea, rather than have the seven of us form it.

"Look, we've got to warn the rest of the superheroes and let them know they're being hunted." I reminded the others. We couldn't forget our mission.

"The good news is, Roman and Riker don't even know where they are, so we should be able to alert them first." Skylar added. Dani frowned at her.

"How? We don't even know where the survivors are, or how many." She reminded her. Skylar nodded.

"I know, but I have an idea about that." When she didn't elaborate, I figured she would let us know in the morning, or when it was time.

"Good, but it's still going to take some time." Chase told us. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Let's get some sleep." Calla suggested. "It sounds like we're going to need it."

I followed the others up the stairs, kissed Dani goodnight, then watched as everyone retired to their rooms.

This team wasn't perfect – I think that was obvious, given how our first day as a team went – but we were a team. And together, I really thought that we could stop Roman and Riker, and avenge everyone we lost in Mighty Med. If we didn't drive each other crazy first.


	2. Holding Out for a Hero

**O** **liver's POV**

"Morning." Calla greeted, walking into the kitchen. I looked up from my magazine as she passed me.

"Morning." I replied, watching herself make a coffee.

"Want some?" She offered, glancing over her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure." I nodded at her. She nodded and reached for another couple, while her eyes remained fixed on the steam of coffee pouring from the expresso machine. "Hey, so I'm curious about something."

"Shoot." She replied.

"Why don't you have bionics?" I asked. She looked up, surprised, then turned around to hand me my mug. "I mean, Bree mentioned that her chip had to be rebuilt a couple of years ago, so it's not like it's impossible. And her and Chase's stepbrother has a bionic arm, right?"

"And leg." Calla nodded. She pulled up a stool. "Bionics aren't as simple as that. You can't just implant a chip into anyone, and the only reason Leo got his bionic limbs is because the limbs were damaged beyond repair."

"Then how do bionics work?" I asked, confused. She looked at me, surprised I asked, but then began to explain the mechanics of the bionic chips and how they integrated with the human nervous system. Talking science with Calla was very different than with Chase, I noted. While he would go into much deeper in his explanations, at times, I could barely understand what he was saying. He never took into account that I might not be on the same level as he was. Calla, on the other hand, was careful not to go too much out of my depths, though she didn't go quite into the same amount of detail.

About a half hour into our stimulating conversation, Kaz came jogging down the stairs. "What are you guys talking about?"

"The use of electroencephalogram technology in relation to Chase's telekinesis." Calla replied. Kaz looked at us.

"Boring." He yawned. Suddenly, a small ball of fire burst from his mouth and hit the coffee table in the living room, igniting it.

"Whoa!" I shouted in surprise, jumping to my feet. Calla ducked behind the kitchen counter and came back up a second later, holding a fire extinguisher. She quickly dealt with the fire as Chase came running in from the veranda.

"Seriously? We've barely been here four days, and you're already attempting to burn the place down?" he questioned. Davenport came rushing down the stairs.

"I heard an explosion!" He exclaimed, on edge. We all stared at him, or rather the skin-tight work out uniform he was wearing. "Are we getting attacked by shape-shifters again?"

"No," Chase quickly assured him before grimacing in disgust and tossing him a blanket from the couch. "But could you cover up? I'm seeing a few too many shapes shifting over there."

"What happened?" Davenport explained.

"I'm guessing a combination of gravity and middle age." I suggested. The others chuckled, though Davenport was unamused.

"To that." He clarified, pointing at the table.

"Oh, well, um…" Kaz chuckled sheepishly. "Oliver and Calla were talking about science, I got bored, I yawned, something flew out of my mouth, and voila, I set the table on fire."

"He must have discovered another super power." Chase announced, looking surprise. Kaz grinned, pleased with himself.

"Fire grenades. Cool." I smiled. Kaz looked at me.

"Fire grenade?" He repeated before shaking his head. "That's lame. I'm calling it my yawn bomb."

"Yes, because that's so much better." I commented sarcastically.

"Wait, you just discovered something you didn't even know you had?" Chase frowned. "How many powers were in that space rock?"

"Don't know. There wasn't exactly a manual." Kaz replied. "And even if there was, I probably wouldn't read it."

I chuckled, knowing that if the Arcturion HAD come with a manual, I would have read it twice, Dani would have skimmed it for the basics, and Kaz would have just tried copying us. "It's not all that different from when Adam, Bree, and Chase, were discovering your hidden abilities." Calla mentioned, looking over at Davenport. He nodded in agreement.

"Yes." He looked at his son. "You guys all discovered yours by accident."

"Except our abilities come from a highly advanced infrastructure and theirs come from a magic witch pebble."

"Chase." Calla looked at him warningly.

"Either way, this is a great opportunity for the team." Davenport insisted. "We can teach them to hone their abilities the way I trained you."

Neither Chase nor Kaz particularly enthusiastic about the idea, but Calla and I both beamed excitedly. "Superhero school. That sounds like fun."

"School. Boring." Kaz yawned again, and accidently spit out a fire grenade that blasted the umbrella stand. "Well, that's the last time that umbrella stand attacks us." Kaz joked when Davenport, Calla, and Chase looked at him sternly.

**Xxx**

"Good news, ladies." Davenport announced, leading the way into Mission Command. Dani, Skylar, and Bree were all sitting at one of the consols, texting. "I'm about to teach my first class of superhero school."

They didn't even have to look at each other before they all responded in sync. "I'm out." "No thanks." "Maybe later."

"Dani, stay." Chase instructed as Calla walked past him and through one of the doors. As we'd found out, all those rocky barriers along the walls in Mission Command were actually sliding doors, and each one of them led to another room. There were six of them, some unused, but others being used as a storage room, weapon room, and Mission Control – which Chase didn't want us in, for fear of us breaking something.

"You're not in charge of me." My sister retorted.

"I'm Mission Leader!" Chase insisted.

" _Dee, don't argue with him. It's not worth the effort."_ I told her telepathically. She glared at me, still not entirely comfortable with the telepathic bond we shared.  _"Besides, it could be fun."_

" _Unlikely."_ She retorted, but she did as Chase asked anyway, falling in line as Calla returned from the storage carrying a large crate full of empty water bottles.

"Okay, guys, I will be your instructor." Davenport announced, taking the crate from Calla and placing the 6 bottles in a line across one of the consols. "Chase and Calla will be my apprentices."

"What? Why are we the apprentices?" Chase demanded.

"Yeah. What do you know about superheroes?" Calla agreed.

"More than you." Davenport retorted.

"How would you know more than us? I've been 'borrowing'," I chuckled at Calla's air quotes, "from Leo's comic book collection for years. No way you know more than us."

"Hell, I'm Donald Davenport!" Davenport retorted.

"Just because you wear disturbingly tight unitards does not make you a superhero." Chase informed his father.

"You ever try fitting into them? Yes, it does." The man replied, ending the conversation. He turned to us. "Alright, Kaz, let's start with you. I want you to use your fire grenades to hit the bottle in the middle and leave the others untouched."

"Got it." Kaz nodded and stepped forward, a confident grin on his face.

"You might want to back up." I advised Calla and Chase. "When it comes to learning, Kaz doesn't."

"Ollie." Dani scolded half-heartedly, though she smirked the same as Calla and Chase.

"Alright. I think it went something like this." Kaz took a breath, then shot a single fire grenade out of his mouth. It hit the bottle dead-center – a perfect shot on the first try – and destroyed it. "Whoa!" "You did it." "Nice." The others complimented, tones of surprise all around. I was actually pretty shocked – it was so unusual for Kaz to succeed so well at something.

"Yeah. If our enemies are 16-ounce bottles of water, I think I'm ready." Kaz agreed, grinning.

"Great job, Kaz." Davenport nodded at him, then gestured for Dani to try. "Dani, now you go. I want you to create a ball of electricity and shoot it at the bottle on the far right."

"Easy." Dani assured him. She took Kaz's place, then separated her hands, forming a small ball of electricity between them. She focused for a moment, then shot the ball forward, taking out not just the bottle on the right, but the one next to it as well. She looked back at us, grinning sheepishly. "Okay, technically, I did hit the bottle."

"You were only supposed to hit one." Calla reminded her. "But it was a fairly good shot. We'll just have to work on your aim a bit."

"We can get to that later." Davenport promised my sister. "Oliver! You're up."

I gulped nervously, taking my sister's place. This was superhero school – they key word being 'school'. How could Dani and Kaz, neither of whom had ever been relatively good at anything involving school, be doing so well? I was supposed to be the one who was good at that stuff, not them. School was my thing, but now that we weren't in school anymore, what kind of edge did I have above them?

"Now, Oliver, since you have ice and water based abilities, I want you to use your cryoblast to freeze the bottle on the far left."

"No problem teach." I assured him, raising my right hand. I tried to use my powers just like I did the other night, but for some reason, it was like they were just out of reach. Instead of creating a powerful, icy blast, I only managed to create a single ice cube, which fell to the ground with a very soft thud.

"Is that an ice cube?" Calla questioned, frowning.

"I don't know what that was." I lied, embarrassed. "Uh, let me try again."

I turned back to the bottles as the others resumed waiting eagerly to see what I could do.  _C'mon, do this_ , I thought to myself, raising my hand. But, just like last time, the only result was a pathetic ice cube. "Okay, yeah, that was an ice cube." I admitted, knowing I couldn't lie again.

"I don't get it. It worked fine when you froze Roman and Riker's black swarm." Chase frowned. I turned around to try again, determined.

" _Try focusing."_ Dani's voice popped into my head.

" _I am focusing."_  I retorted. She stepped closer, trying to be a little supportive.

" _Well, try focusing harder."_  She suggested innocently.

" _Why don't you go stand over there harder?"_  I snapped back. She rolled her eyes, but returned to Kaz's side.

I tried to focus my powers harder, but something was wrong; they wouldn't work right, no matter how hard I tried. Figures, just when Kaz and Dani begin to shine at this, I begin to fail.

"Oh, c'mon!" I grunted in frustration as another couple of ice cubes formed and fell from my hand.

"I don't know where to train him, or call the refrigerator repair man." Chase joked, earning a chuckle from Kaz.

"Oliver, it's okay. We'll work on it." Davenport told me. "Kaz, why don't you see how your grenades handle rapid fire."

"Okay." Kaz nodded and I stepped aside to let him take my spot. Dani patted my shoulder gently, her eyes on her boyfriend. "I mean, I haven't really tried it before, but I imagine it goes something like this."

He opened his mouth, and quickly, balls of fire exploded from his lips before crashing into the different bottles and taking them out one by one."

"Wow! You're a natural." Davenport explained. He looked back at us, and his smile faded. "Oliver, you're leaking all over my floor."

I looked down at the floor, and indeed, there was a puddle where the ice cubes had been. "Sorry." I mumbled in way of an apology.

**Bree's POV**

Since Calla, Dani, and the boys were all down in Mission Command, I went off to find Skylar. Usually, it took a bit for me to grow really close to someone, but surprisingly, I'd become fast friends with her and Dani. Maybe it was a result of us sharing a room, or maybe our common interests, but hey, I wasn't about to complain about having good friends that were girls. Back home in Mission Creek, I had to drag people kicking and screaming to the mall if I wanted some company (except for Calla, but she'd spent the entire time in stores like Tech Town and The Kessel Run, which was no fun for me).

Eventually, I found the girl lying on one of the chairs outside, reading a magazine. "So, how do you like Centium City?" I asked, curious. Mr. Davenport had given us all some money yesterday to go shopping (for clothing and other household necessities that we may have left back home) and we'd taken the opportunity to check out a large portion of the city.

"It's great, but it's kind of overwhelming." Skylar admitted, sitting up completely as I settled myself onto one of the other chairs. "I mean, I'm just a small-town alien girl."

"Yeah, that's never going to stop sounding weird." I told her. She shrugged.

"What I mean is, I've been to school, but I haven't experienced much of the real world." She clarified. I beamed; finally someone who had even less social experience than I have!

"Me neither! I couldn't be more socially awkward!" I gushed. I paused, thinking about what I just said. "I don't know why I'm so excited about that."

Skylar laughed lightly. "This is going to fun." She commented, obviously referring to our friendship.

"I finally get to have another girl around." I agreed.

"What about Calla?" Skylar reminded me.

"She's always either with Chase, or working on some new weapon or invention." I explained. "That's why it's so nice to have you and Dani around. You guys are like the sisters I never had."

Skylar looked at me, touched. "You really think of me as a sister."

"Of course I do." I promised her. I held out my arms. "Bring it in."

To my surprise, instead of hugging me, Skylar dropped low and kicked her leg out, knocking my feet out from under me. Before I recover, or even react, she grabbed my legs and pulled them upwards at a painful angle. "What are you doing?" I demanded, struggling.

"Having fun with my new sis." She insisted, as if it should have been obvious. She pulled harder, and I cried out in pain. "Aw, your tiny bone pops are adorable."

**Oliver's POV**

While Davenport spent some extra time working with Kaz (he said that he had an idea of how to put his powers to good use), and Calla helped Dani work on her accuracy, I went looking for Chase. He wasn't hard to find – he was sitting in the living room, working on his laptop.

"Hey, Chase." He shut his laptop, looking up, surprised. "Can we talk, smart guy to smart guy?"

"Well, we can talk smart guy to smartest guy." He joked, smirking. I frowned. "Alright, what's up?"

"I'm just not getting this whole superhero thing." I admitted, a little embarrassed. He nodded.

"Yeah, me neither." He agreed. "We've been over this. Magic witch pebble."

"No, I mean, earlier today, I was-" I began.

"A dud?" He interrupted.

"I was going to say-"

"A failure."

"No, I was thinking-"

"A disaster."

"Would you let me finish?!" I snapped, annoyed. He paused, but smirked, then let me continue. "It's weird. In school, I always picked things up quickly, but for some reason, I just…I can't figure out these powers. Something's off."

"I think I know what's off." Chase stood up. "Your world is upside down because you're usually the A student and Kaz and Dani are the F students. It's psyching you out that they're better at this than you."

"What? No, that's crazy. They are not better than me, despite all the overwhelming evidence that says otherwise." I retorted defensively. Dani and Kaz better at learning stuff than me? Not a chance. "I just need your help."

"Okay." Chase agreed. "Maybe you just need some more practice. We can focus on one of your other powers. It might be easier."

I grinned. "Yes, that's a great idea." And I had the perfect power in mind. "I have another super power that shoots a water vortex from my hand. I call it cyclone fingers."

"Wait." Chase smirked, raising his hand to his mouth. "You dispense ice and water? Do you also have a vegetable crisper?"

I scowled as he chuckled in amusement.

**Bree's POV**

I barely managed to get away from Skylar and into the hyperlift. What the heck was going on with her? One minute we were chatting, and the next, she was trying to annihilate me. "Quick, help me!" I shouted, racing into Mission Command. Dani, Calla, and Mr. Davenport were all standing around one of the rock walls as Kaz blasted it with fire. I skidded to a stop, realizing that he was burning an image of Mr. Davenport into the wall. "That's gonna come off, right?"

"Probably not." Calla told me.

"Nor should it." Mr. Davenport looked at us, aghast at the very thought.

"What's going on?" Dani asked, frowning.

"I told Skylar she was like a sister to me, and then, out of nowhere, she started throwing me around like Adam does with Chase." I explained quickly. "She gave me a wedgie. Girls don't do that."

"You've clearly never been in a fight with Becky." Calla commented. Dani and Kaz exchanged knowing looks, smirking.

"Yeah." Kaz chuckled, nodding.

"Yeah, what?" I demanded. I tossed a look over my shoulder at the hyperlift to make sure the alien girl hadn't followed me yet.

"That's how all the girls on Skylar's planet are." Kaz explained. "They're beautiful and friendly, and incredibly violent."

"They treat each other like brothers." Dani clarified. "It seems weird, I know, but she's acting like that because she's trying to bond with you."

"That's great." Sarcasm dripped from my tone, "You know, all I ever wanted was a sister, but instead I get a steel cage she-beast that assaults me in my own home."

Suddenly, I heard the hyperlift activate, and I panicked. "She's coming! Hide me!" I begged.

"You have an invisibility app." Mr. Davenport pointed out. Oh, duh.

"Right." I nodded, before turning invisible. I held still as Skylar came into the room, knowing that the only way that she'd find me is if I made a loud noise or if she accidently walked into me.

"Hey guys." Skylar greeted the others before pausing. She turned to look in my direction. "Oh, I think Bree wants to play another game." She leaned in close to me, despite the fact that she couldn't see me. "I can hear you breathing."

She stepped back for a very brief moment before kicking me hard in the gut. I dropped to the ground, all the air rushing from my lungs. "Wow, she really likes you!" Kaz exclaimed. I looked up to glare at him as my stomach throbbed painfully.

**Oliver's POV**

I held my hand out, watching as a large cyclone of water spouted from it. "You're doing great, Oliver." Chase complimented as I stopped the cyclone. "Maybe I was wrong about Kaz getting into your head."

"This is amazing." I agreed, grinning. "Chase, I can't thank you enough."

"Well, there's always money." He reminded me. I looked at him, unsure of whether or not he was joking, just as Kaz, Dani, Calla, and Davenport walked out onto the veranda.

"Hey guys." They greeted us.

"Oh, hey Kaz, Dee." I zeroed in on them. "What a coincidence. Chase and I were just not thinking about you."

"…Okay." Dani smiled in confusion.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Davenport inquired.

"Not much, just perfecting this super cool new power." I bragged. "Check it out. Cyclone fingers."

I raised my hand and created another vortex, this one bigger than before. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Dani and Kaz for their reactions, but their faces didn't give anything away. In an effort to show that my powers were just as cool as theirs, I tried to make the cyclone bigger, but soon lost control of it.

"Oliver?" Chase questioned as the cyclone began to sway violently, coming far too close to them.

"Don't worry, I got this." I told them, hoping I was right, as I tried to regain control of the cyclone. I stumbled as it struck out towards the others. I tried to step back to get it away from them, but only for it to swing right into Davenport. The cyclone knocked him straight off the veranda, just before the water twister disappeared.

"Shit!" Chase swore as we all rushed to the edge of the veranda, looking down.

"That was really good, bud," Kaz glanced at me, "up until that last part."

"Mr. Davenport, are you okay?" Calla called, leaning forward as much as she dared. I look over the wall to see Davenport desperately clutching to the massive bust of his head attached to the building.

"Help!" The man shouted in response. "I'm hanging on by a hair! My luscious, full-bodied hair! Help me!"

"Hang on, Mr. Davenport!" Dani shouted down to him. My sister frowned, then looked at Chase. "Speaking of which, what is he hanging onto?"

"Daven-head." Calla and Chase responded in unison.

"He put a giant bust of his own head on the building?" I'd seen the bust when we first came here, but at the time, I hadn't given it a second glance.

"No, the Daven-head came first." Chase told us. "He had the tower built to support it."

"I knew he had a big head, but I never thought it would save his life." Kaz chuckled.

"I heard that, new guy!" Davenport snapped at us, but that only made Kaz chuckle harder.

"Hey, Ollie? I think we should change the name of your cyclone fingers to 'irresponsible wind of doom'." Dani suggested, giving me a look.

"HeY! I thought it was perfected, and so did he!" I pointed at Chase.

"Whoa, don't rope me into this." He retorted. "I'm still trying to figure out you super freaks."

"Uh, I hate to interrupt, but could one of you heroes get down here and save me?" Davenport demanded. We looked over the wall again.

"You think you could pull yourself to the top of the head?" Chase suggested. The head wasn't too far down, so if he could stand on top of it, it wouldn't be that difficult to pull him up.

"It's too slippery! I can't get a foothold." He called. "My face it too perfect!"

"Debatable." Dani muttered.

"I'll be right down!" Chase called. He stopped. "Wait, what am I saying? You three can fly. Get down there and save him! Actually…" He looked at Kaz and Dani. "Why don't one of you go down there and save him?"

"Why not me?" I demanded.

"Uh, no offense, but I don't trust you with your own life." Chase told me. "But if Mr. Davenport needs a cold beverage, you'll be the first person I call."

"I got this." Kaz offered.

"No, I got this." I told him. I needed to prove myself, and this was the best way to do so.

"Actually, I can still hear you, and my vote's for Kaz. Or Dani. Or Chase, even though he can't fly. Hell, Calla doesn't even have abilities and I'd still vote for her."

"Don't worry, Mr. Davenport. I'm coming to save you." I announced before climbing up onto the wall. I jumped off the wall, and into the air. The air rushed past my face as I began to slow my descent. Still not the greatest at landings, I crashed into the Daven-head. "Sorry," I apologized to my boss, "Still working on the landings."

Davenport didn't look very reassured by my attempt to help him. In fact, both him and the Daven-head had pretty grim expressions on their faces. "You know what's weird? You both look equally disappointed in me."

"We are." Davenport promised me, scowling.

**Bree's POV**

"Lost her, finally." I sighed in relief as I made my way back into the Penthouse. After I'd managed to get away from Skylar earlier, I figured the best way to get a real break from her was to head back to the Bionic Academy for a while, so I'd grabbed the Geoleap bracelet and spent most of the day with Jaden. Eventually, though, I had to come back.

"Ahh!" There was a sudden scream from above me, and I didn't even have the chance to look up before Skylar dropped down on me. I cried out in pain as I was slammed down to the ground. She pinned me to the ground, grinning. "Gotcha!"

"Okay, that's it." I muttered when I could speak again. I grabbed her arms and pushed them out from under her, then took advantage of her surprise and flipped her over onto her back before grabbing one of her arms and pulling it tightly upwards.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Skylar cried, trying to pull away. She tapped the ground several times as a sign that she was surrendering, and I released her. "That really hurt!" Skylar complained as she got up. Then she grinned. "Nice."

"No, not nice." I corrected, annoyed. "Skylar, I can't do this anymore."

"Bree, we're heroes. 'can't' isn't in our vocabulary." She chided. "Now, wanna rumble?"

"No." I said quickly, shaking my head. "Look, this might be the way you do things on your planet, but here, sisters don't throttle each other to show their love. We do it by pretending to be nice and talking behind each other's backs."

"Oh, well, I've been doing that too." She reassured me. I looked at her, and she sighed, her expression turning apologetic. "Bree, I'm sorry, but I told you: this is all really new to me. The city, having a sister…"

"It's okay." I told her. "I get it. This is all new to me too. That's why we're luck to have each other, so we can figure it all out together. But I can't do that if you're pile-driving me into the floor."

"Why didn't you say something?" Skylar frowned.

"Oh, were my screams too subtle?" I demanded sarcastically.

She laughed sheepishly. "Okay, from now on, no more physical violence."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Except one a week?" She tried.

"No." I replied.

"Once a month?" She asked hopefully.

"Not a chance." I retorted.

"Holidays." She begged. I sighed; there was no getting out of this, was there?

"Fine." I agreed reluctantly. She beamed

"Great!" She exclaimed, smiling at me just before she punched me in the gut with all her might.

"OW!" I exclaimed, hunching over. "What was that for?"

"Happy Flag Day, sis." Skylar smiled at me.

**Oliver's POV**

"Any chance you could move your hand over a little bit?" I requested, feeling my hand slip a little more.

"Oh, yeah, and right after that, I'll just plummet to my death!" Davenport snapped, refusing to move his hand. "You can fly. Why aren't you saving us?"

"I keep messing up. What if I do it again and one of us dies?" I looked at him, worried. Lately, I just couldn't do anything right, especially when it came to my powers.

"Well, if you're talking about me, that would be a tragedy of epic worldwide proportion." Davenport replied.

"And what about me?" I demanded.

"If this were about you, we'd be hanging onto a giant bust of your head." Davenport snapped.

**Dani's POV**

"Why isn't Ollie saving him?" I asked, looking down at the two. I was sitting on top of the wall, my legs hanging off the edge, while Kaz and Chase both sat with their backs against the columns on either side of me. I looked at Kaz. "Should we fly down and get them?"

"No, don't." Chase shook his head, looking down.

"Ah, you inherit the old man's building and bank account if he splats?" Kaz guessed, smirking. "Say no more."

"No, Oliver needs to save Mr. Davenport himself." Chase insisted. "The reason he's having trouble with his powers in because he's insecure. You're outshining him, and it's getting into his head."

I frowned. Really? I mean, we weren't trying to outshine him or anything – Kaz and I just happened to have some sort of natural talent with this kind of thing. "Wait, so he's intimidated because we're so good at it?"

"Well, I hate to say it, but I may need another super power just to rein in all this awesome." Kaz bragged. I slapped him in the arm, smiling.

"Guys, the more you succeed, the more it shines a light on the fact that Oliver is struggling." Chase continued. "The only way for him to get over that is to make him feel like he can do it."

"So we're going to let him save Mr. Davenport." I nodded in agreement.

"Well, all righty then." Kaz clapped his hands together. "So let's go make some popcorn and see how this train wreck turns out."

"Way ahead of you." Calla declared, walking in from the kitchen, carrying two massive bowls of popcorn. She handed one to Kaz and the other to Chase. Kaz and I stared at her, surprised, but she just shrugged. "Whenever I was stuck in the lab when they were on missions, I had the habit of making popcorn to help pass the time."

"Smart girl." Kaz complimented. She smirked, then leaned on the wall next to me to get a better look at what was going on down there.

**Oliver's POV**

"Oh, great." I muttered as a cool breeze blew over me. "I'm starting to get chilly."

"It's official. You are the worst superhero ever." Davenport muttered. Suddenly, I felt the Daven-head shake. Glancing down, I noticed that there were large cracks near the base of the bust.

"Your face is cracking." I murmured, eyes wide.

"Forehead or cheekbones?" Davenport demanded, looking equally panicked.

"Not you, the Daven-head!" I snapped. "Our weight is pulling it off the base."

"No, your weight is pulling it off the base." Davenport corrected. "I was doing just fine until you got here. Now, do something!"

"I know exactly what to do." It was the only thing I could think of. "KAZ! DEE! HELP!"

**Dani's POV**

"KAZ! DEE! HELP!" We all looked down at Ollie's shout.

"Sorry, buddy!" Kaz called down. "There's no way I could carry both of you!"

"I may be the athlete of the family, but you're heavy. I'll drop you for sure!" I added.

"Nice excuse. Sounds pretty believable." Calla complimented, grabbing a handful of popcorn out of the bowl in Chase's lap.

"Actually, it's the truth." Dani commented. "Ollie's the only one with super strength. We couldn't save 'em if we wanted to."

"Not even if you each take one?" Calla demanded, eyes wide. Kaz shook his head.

"Nope. We'd have to carry their entire body weight, while flying against gravity. Not easy. I might be able to carry you, shorty." The 5'2 girl glared at him. "But that's a maybe."

"Wait, so Mr. Davenport's life is really in Oliver's hands?" Chase demanded. Kaz nodded.

"Yep. His wet, slipper, ice cube-y hands." Kaz told him. Chase's eyes grew even bigger and he pulled the popcorn bowl close to him, clutching it nervously.

**Oliver's POV**

"What are we going to do?" I asked, biting my lip worriedly.

"I'm sure Chase and Calla will come up with something." Davenport told me, but he didn't sound too certain.

"And what if they don't?" I demanded.

"Then I guess we're going to die!" He snapped, before adding, "I'm too young to die."

"I'm too young to die. You're just about the right age." I retorted. I gasped as the Daven-head began to crack some more, and I almost felt my grip slip.

"We're running out of time." Davenport muttered. He looked at me. "Oliver, you have to do something. You're the only one who can save us."

"You're right." I realized. Suddenly, it didn't matter that Kaz and Dani were watching, or that they were better with their powers than me. It was just me, Davenport, and my powers. I could do this, I could do this, I could do-

I pushed off the Daven-head just as it began to fall. I flew after it, then, once I was close enough, grabbed Davenport by the back of his pants, and stopped my descent. I soared back into the sky, heading for the penthouse veranda. I grinned as I landed on it, my landing a bit unsteady, but far better than any of the my past ones. Davenport fell to his knees the moment he touched the ground, relieved. "I did it!" I exclaimed, grinning at the stunned looks on everyone else's faces. "I'm a hero!"

"Yeah, but next time you save a guy, pick a better hand hold." Davenport told me, adjusting his pants with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Sorry. It was tough to get a grip with all your shifting shapes." I replied, smirking.

"I can't believe he came through." Kaz told my sister. I looked at him. "Sorry. I mean…Yeah, I can't believe you came through."

Well, at least he was honest about it. "Just out of curiosity, what was your back-up plan in case Oliver here didn't save me?" Davenport demanded, looking at the others.

"Take your helicopter for a spin and not come back." "Preserve your real Daven-head in the name of science." "Change your will so that it signs Davenport Industries over to Leo and I before anyone notices." "I was gonna get a spatula and meet you down at the sidewalk." They all replied in unison.

"Hilarious." Davenport commented sarcastically. "I'm leaving everything to Bree."

He stormed off, annoyed. "I'm proud of you, Oliver." Chase told me, patting me on the shoulder.

"Thanks." I smiled at him appreciatively. "Oh, and by the way, you were right. Once I stopped worrying and Dani and Kaz, and started believing in myself, everything came together."

"You really stepped up when it mattered, Oliver." Calla told me. "And that's part of being a hero no one can teach."

"Except me." Chase added. His girlfriend rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand, and led him into the living room.

"Nice job, Ollie." Dani hugged me.

"Congrats bud." Kaz agreed. "I guess we're all good at this superhero thing."

"Yeah." Suddenly, I caught of whiff of hot butter in the air. "Hey, were you eating popcorn while I was hanging off the edge of the building?"

"Yeah." Dani nodded. I looked at her, then at Kaz.

"Did you at least save some for me?" I asked.

"Um, no. We thought you were gonna fall." Kaz informed me, before patting me on the shoulder and walking away.

**Xxx**

"Who orders a cookies and cream smoothie?" Dani questioned, staring at Calla as we headed into the penthouse. As a celebration of surviving our first day of superhero school, all of us (including Bree and Skylar) had gone out for smoothies as a treat.

"Who doesn't order a cookies and cream smoothie?" The brunnete retorted. We all stopped in the living room, seeing Davenport in the center of it, along with another man, who was messing around with what looked like a container of plaster. Our boss had a white mask over his face with straws poking out where his nose should be. "Uh, Mr. Davenport?"

"Oh, hey guys." The man greeted us.

"Ew." Skylar wrinkled her nose in disgust at the mask. "Okay, I'm from another planet, and I've never seen anything that weird."

"I'm gonna Daven-puke." Bree declared.

"And to think we could've just let him fall." Calla commented. All four of the girls headed upstairs, Dani and Calla still debating over whether or not a smoothie needed to have fruit in it.

"What's going on?" Chase asked.

"He's making a mold of my face to replace the broken Daven-head." Mr. Davenport replied, his voice slightly muffled by the mask.

"But if they're only doing your head, why are you still wearing that outfit?" I questioned. Seriously, he'd been wearing that workout outfit all day.

"Because I look great in it." He insisted. Kaz looked at me.

"Do we have any super powers that can make me unsee this?" He asked. I shook my head, for no, we sadly did not.


	3. Power Play

** Oliver's POV **

"Hey Chase." I greeted the older boy as he walked into the kitchen from the veranda, carrying a large bucket in one hand. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I just reinforced all the winds with an impenetrable polymer Calla and I designed to keep this place safe from any threat." He nodded at his girlfriend, who was sitting at the dining room table with Dani, teaching my sister Blackjack.

"Oh yeah? Well I just made myself a grilled cheese." I teased jokingly. Chase chuckled and went to sit down next to Calla as Skylar walked into the room.

"Mm, something smells good." She smiled pleasantly. I smirked.

"Yep, that's my sandwich." I told her.

"No, smells more like reinforced polymer." She decided. I chuckled.

"Oh you." I pointed at her, but accidently sprayed her in the face with a stream of water from my finger.

"Oliver!" She shouted, wiping the water off her face.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident." I apologized quickly. "I'm still trying to get the hang of my powers."

That was the WRONG thing to say. Skylar fixed me with a glare powerful enough to kill a god. "Oh, you poor thing." Her tone was layered with sarcasm. "It must be so hard for you."

"That's not what I meant." I wasn't trying to complain about my powers; I knew I was lucky to have them, and it was difficult for her to watch us use them without thinking of her own lost abilities.

"No, no, no. Thank you once again for reminding me how you have powers, and I don't." She snapped before stalking away, clearly pissed. I gulped nervously, then looked over and Chase, Dani, and Calla, all of whom had been listening in on the conversation.

"Alien chicks, am I right?" I chuckled nervously, trying to blow it off.

"Question," Calla raised her hand for a moment, "If Skylar was born a superhero, and alien, why doesn't she have any powers?"

"Well, she used to." Dani explained. "Hell, she used to be one of the most powerful superheroes alive."

"But then a human-turned-mutant named the Annihilator drained them out of her, and put them on a shelf as a trophy." I continued. "We got them back for her, but it turned out he tainted them to make her turn evil."

"And then she tried to kill all of us, especially Ollie, so we had to have them drained out of her again, and that is the very long story as to why she doesn't have powers." Dani finished. "Oh, and Ollie promised her he'd get them back for her, 'cause he likes her, but he never did." She paused. "Wow, no wonder she's pissed at you."

"Yeah, thanks for that, Dee." I commented sarcastically. She shrugged, then looked back at her cards.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but you have to agree that that just sounds ridiculous." Chase commented, looking at me in exasperation. I didn't argue with him – our lives were just plain weird. "Look, if Skylar's going to be a part of this team, then she's going to need her powers."

"What about Calla? She doesn't have any powers. Does that mean she can't be part of the team?" Dani asked, frowning. Calla and Chase both looked at her like she was crazy.

"I can handle myself." "Have you seen her with a weapon?" They both replied. Dani frowned.

"Sorry if I'm skeptical, but you're a 5'2 nerd without super powers or much physical training." Dani pointed out.

"And you're a human-shaped plasma globe." Calla shot back. Dani frowned, confused, so Calla continued. "I don't need powers to be a hero."

"That being said, Skylar's powers could be a major asset, so I need to figure out a way to get them back for her." Chase decided.

"No, I have to be the one to get her powers back." I told him.

"Why you?" Chase questioned, frowning.

"Because, then she falls in love with me, then we get married, then we live out happy little superhero lives together forever in a space castle." I explained.

"You know, in your funny, yet creepy, little world, I believe that could happen." Calla commented. I smiled.

"Thanks for the support." I let her know before looking back at Chase. "I've been trying to get powers back for almost two years now. So far, no luck."

"That's because you didn't have my vast scientific knowledge to help you, and now you do." He assured me. "I'll even give you all the credit so she thinks you're the hero."

"Thanks, man." I grinned at him. "You're the best. One day, I'm gonna do something for you."

I gave him a thumbs up, but accidently sprayed him with water, just like I did Skylar. "You could start by getting me a towel." He told me, giving me a look. I chuckled apologetically.

** Xxx **

"How's it going down here?" I inquired, heading down into the mission command. It had been a few hours since Chase had offered to help me get Skylar's powers back, and I thought I'd come down to check on what his status was.

"I think I might be onto something." Chase announced, stepping away from a large chemistry set. I smiled, relieved, as he began to explain. "If Skylar was born with powers, then the cells that created them should still be inside her body; they're just dormant. So, if science applies – which who knows if it will, since we're dealing with…well, let's just call her for what she is: a freak - then we might be able to stimulate those dormant cells."

"Great, but how?" I questioned. Chase considered the question for a moment.

"Does Skylar have any weaknesses?" He inquired.

"No, she's perfect." I replied. "Although, she'd tell you that one of her knees is higher than the other, but that's not true."

"I meant physical weaknesses." Chase clarified. "Calla says that every superhero has one."

"There is a chemical compound in coal that's harmful to her." I answered. I frowned. "Hey, speaking of Calla, why isn't she helping us with this? She loves superheroes."

Chase chuckled. "It's a bit of a long story, but Calla's not allowed to perform any experiments on anyone with the name 'Skylar'." I stared at him, confused. "Basically, there was this girl named Skylar at our old school, and they hated each other, which was fine, but then Skylar started some big fight at school or something…and anyway, Calla retaliated by turning the girl's hair purple for a week."

"Remind me never to piss your girlfriend off." I commented. Chase nodded, chuckling.

"Powers or not, trust me, she's dangerous." He agreed. "Anyway, I think the coal is a good place for us to start. I can try to use it to shock Skylar's immune system. It should wake up at least some of the cells, if not all of them."

"No, you can't give her coal." I shook my head, looking at him. "It's way too dangerous."

"In abundance, yes." Chase agreed. "But a trace amount should safely stimulate the regeneration of her superpowers."

"Oh. I wish I'd thought of that." I commented as the hyperlift activated. Chase smiled.

"Good news; you just did." He told me, putting his hand on my shoulder, then turning me to face the doors of the hyperlift. Skylar stepped inside.

"Dani told me you were looking for me." She told me, still sounding mad about earlier. I grinned, ready to brighten her day.

"Guess what." I told her.

"Oh, let me guess…you discovered a new superpower." She rolled her eyes. "What now? Can you shoot torpedoes out of your nose?"

"No, I thought I could a few weeks ago, but turns out it was just a sinus infection." I admitted. "Anyway, I, Oliver, have been working with some of Chase's lab equipment and I, Oliver, think I, Oliver, have found a way to restore your powers."

Her expression turned from annoyed to shocked and ecstatic and disbelieving, all at once. "Y-You did?" She didn't quite believe me. I nodded.

"Yes, I, Oliver, did." I assured her. She looked at me, then her gaze flickered to Chase.

"He did?" She questioned him. Chase nodded.

"Yep." He lied. "He, Oliver, really did. And I would know, because I, Chase, am the smartest man in the world and I, Chase, come up with fixes for everything."

"Except this." I added, glaring at him. Couldn't he keep his ego under control for ten minutes?

"But I could have." Chase insisted.

"But he didn't." I told Skylar.

** Kaz's POV **

"See? That wasn't so bad." I mentioned to Bree as we stepped off the elevator. She'd complained the whole way up to our floor about having to ride the elevator with me.

"You made us stop on all 110 floors." She argued, opening the door to the penthouse. Calla and Dani were inside, the two girls bent over a laptop.

"Look, Bree, if I have the opportunity to push a button and make it light up, I'm gonna do it." I defended myself. Suddenly, a small, pink pig raced past us, into the penthouse, and jumped onto the couch to lie down on Dani's lap.

"Um, okay? Why is there a pig in our penthouse?" Calla questioned, closing the laptop.

"I'm guessing he came into some money on the farm." I joked. Dani laughed lightly, petting the pig.

"Hey, little guy," she cooed. "How'd you get up here?"

"Well, I'm sure he didn't press every button on the elevator." She snarked, looking pointedly at me. An older woman, middle-aged and short with short, light brown hair approached the penthouse just then.

"Oh, Petey, there you are!" She exclaimed, spotting the pig through the door. The pig oinked happily, then tore off Dani's lap and raced to the woman. She bent down to pet him, then looked at us gratefully. "Oh, thank you for finding my dear pet, Petey."

"Wait, that thing is your pet?" Calla questioned, looking at her like she was crazy. She and Bree exchanged disgusted looks.

"Cool! I've always wanted a pig for a pet." I grinned at the woman. I pointed at Petey's wagging tail. "Look at his little tail go! It's like it's got a mind of its own!"

"It's very nice to meet you." Bree told the woman. "I'm Bree, and these are my roommates, Kaz, Calla, and Dani."

"Oh, lovely to meet you. I'm Mrs. Ramsay." The woman beamed at us. "You know, the rest of us tenants have been wondering what kind of classy people would be moving into the penthouse."

I bent down to talk to Petey. "Come on, Petey!" I cooed to the pet. "Give me a kiss! Hit me with your porky pucker!"

"Yeah, that's us." Calla laughed lightly, embarrassed. "Classiest kids in town."

"You must be a pig person." Mrs. Ramsay told me. I nodded in agreement, still petting Petey. "Oh, now I know this is last minute, but I have to go visit my daughter this weekend. Is there any chance that you'd wanna watch Petey for me?"

"Of course." Dani and I replied, at the same time as Calla and Bree said, "No thanks."

"One moment, miss." Calla told Mrs. Ramsay before she and Bree pulled Dani and I to the side. "Guys, we're not pig-sitting."

"Why not?" Dani protested.

"There are already three teenage boys in this penthouse. The last thing we need is another disgusting animal."

"I'm sorry. I did not know you guys were pig-a-phobic." I grumbled.

"Technically, it's swinophobia." Calla corrected. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ramsay, but you're going to have to find someone else to watch Petey." Dani told Mrs. Ramsay apologetically. "It was really nice to meet both of you, though."

"It's alright, sweetie." Mrs. Ramsay told her gently. She jerked her head at Bree and Calla. "Come on, Petey. Those two don't like you."

"I'll take the elevator down with you." I offered to the woman. She smiled at me.

"How sweet." She told me. "But I hope you don't mind a long ride. Peter just loves to push all the buttons."

"Oh come on! He's perfect!" I exclaimed, looking at Bree and Calla. But both girls stood their ground on the pig issue.

But since when have I ever asked permission to do anything?

** Oliver's POV **

"I can't believe this is really happening." Skylar was so excited that she was practically bouncing in her seat. "I've waited so long to get my powers back."

"Well, my dear, your wait is over." I promised her. "Th serum!"

"It's not ready yet." Chase let me know. I nodded, though I was disappointed. So much for being smooth.

"I'm sorry. My assistant informs me there will be a slight delay." I turned back to Skylar. "Can I make you more comfortable?"

"I'm good." She told me. "So, how exactly is the serum going to work?"

"Well, uh, you see…the serum will be, uh-"

"Injected." Chase whispered helpfully.

"Injected into you, thus-" I paused, hoping he'd help me out again. He did.

"Activating."

"Activating the-"

"Cells."

"Cells-"

"Which are currently dormant but innately have superpowers." Chase hissed.

"Just trust me, Skylar. I know what I'm doing." I told her, deciding that it was just easier to say that than repeating everything Chase said.

"The serum is ready." Chase announced. He pulled out a very large syringe.

"Whoa." I murmured, gulping nervously as I eyed the large needle. "That-that's a big needle. Do you have anything in chewable form?"

"No," Chase looked at me, bemused, "but if you prefer, I can administer the injection."

"No way, Frankenstein. This is my beautiful monster." I snapped. I snatched the syringe away from him, but when I went to injected the serum into the back of Skylar's neck, my hands refused to steady. "Yeah, it's all you." I relented, sighing.

Chase rolled his eyes, then took the needle from me. He calmly injected the serum into Skylar's neck.

"Okay, there you go." Chase told her. Skylar smiled at him for a moment, then it faded to disappointment.

"I don't feel anything."

"It might take some time for the serum to kick in." He informed her. "Right Oliver?"

I didn't answer, still focused on that massive needle. "Oliver?" Skylar looked at me, concerned.

"Sorry. I'm a little woozy." I admitted. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure." Skylar looked over me again. Chase walked past me, grabbed a couple of small, black, circular objects off the consol and came back over to Skylar and I.

"Alright, Skylar," He said as he placed one on either side of her neck. "Sit back, relax, and the medical software will wirelessly monitor your vitals."

"Yes, and you'll have your powers back in a matter of minutes." I promised her.

"Hours." Chase corrected.

"Hours!" I exclaimed over-enthusiastically in an attempt to cover up my mistake. "Hey, you want something to eat? I can whip something up in the kitchen."

"Yeah, sure." Skylar smiled at me. "That'd be great."

"Your wish is my command." I smiled charmingly at her before heading to the hyperlift. I landed on the main floor, and started towards the kitchen, where I found Dani standing over a bucket of disgusting, rotting food. "Uh, do I want to know?"

"Probably not." She replied.

** Kaz's POV **

"Lunch is served!" Dani proclaimed, walking over to Petey and I, carrying a large bowl of 'food' she deemed appropriate for the pig. I grinned – the moment Bree and Calla had stepped upstairs, we'd snuck Petey into the penthouse, leaving the two older girls completely oblivious to what was going on. "Here you go Petey."

"And then, after you're done, I'll draw you a nice mud bath." I told the piglet as he began to chow down on the food Dani had prepared.

"Kaz? Dani?" Bree's voice called from upstairs as feet hit the stairs.

"Crap." Dani hissed. I grabbed one of the throw pillows and used it to hide Petey from view. Thank God he was small enough to hide behind it, and just in time too, as Calla and Bree came walking down the stairs at that moment.

"Hey, have you guys seen my purse?" Bree questioned, beginning to check under the couch.

"Or my wallet?" Calla added. She crossed her arms, looking peeved that she couldn't find it. Then she looked at the bowl of pig food. "What are you eating?"

"Oh, that." Should have thought to hide that too. "Uh, that is my lunch."

"Recycled vegetables." Dani added, trying to be helpful. Calla looked at us, not buying it for a moment, so I knew I had to do something to convince her.

I plucked a piece out of the bowl. "Is it a carrot? Is it a beet? Who knows?" I put it in my mouth, but I barely had to chew before I realized my mistake. "Oh, that's neither." I grimaced, slowly taking the piece from my mouth and putting it back in the bowl.

"You people are weird." Calla commented before beginning to search for her missing wallet. The moment she turned around, Petey let out a grunt.

"What was that?" Bree questioned, both girls turning around.

"What was what?" I questioned, playing dumb. Petey grunted again.

"That." Calla commented, looking between us suspiciously.

"Kaz was snoring." Dani lied. I shot her a look, but she shrugged and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Yes, uh, you guys aren't the most interesting people. Sorry." I told them apologetically.

"And you're not the most clever." Bree accused, grabbed the throw pillow and ripping it away from Petey.

"It's not what you're thinking." Dani told them quickly.

"You guys brought the pig here behind our backs?" Calla questioned.

"Okay, it's exactly what you're thinking." Dani admitted.

"Guys, I thought we agreed that bringing the pig here was a bad idea." Bree looked at us in exasperation.

"I know, but I told you, I've always wanted a pet pig." I insisted.

"And it's just one weekend." Dani added.

"No. I'm going to call Mrs. Ramsay right now and have her take him back." Calla decided, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"Too late. She already left to go on vacation to see her daughter." Dani informed them.

"Well, then, he's going to have to stay with someone else." Bree decided.

"I suppose we could ask the guy who lives downstairs. You know, the butcher." I emphasized the word. Bree and Calla exchanged looks. "He said he would watch him, until dinner."

"Okay, fine. He can stay." Calla relented.

"But only if you keep him away from us, and clean up any big messes he makes." Bree added.

"I think you mean pig messes." Dani joked. The other two girls glared at her. "Okay, fine. Deal."

Bree and Calla sighed, before heading off to check the kitchen for their missing items. "Nice job, Petey." Dani cooed, petting him. He squealed happily, rubbing his nose against her hand.

** Oliver's POV **

"Look what your hero brought you." I announced, walking back into Mission Command with Chase so that we could check on how Skylar was doing. "Flowers for your superpowers. AHH!"

Chase and I jumped back, screaming, for when Skylar turned around to face us, she revealed that her face was covered in black webbing. "What's wrong?" She demanded, confused.

"Uh, nothing." I lied. "You're just shockingly beautiful. So beautiful that I have to look away."

I looked at Chase, expecting some sort of explanation, but he looked just as shocked as I was. "None of my powers have kicked I yet." Skylar complained, frowning. "I don't think the serum did anything."

"Oh, it did something." Chase assured her, trying to hide his panic. He pulled me aside. "This is bad."

"No shit, Sherlock." I retorted. "I mean, it'll be a little weird being the good-looking one in the relationship, but I'll get used to it."

"I'm serious." Chase insisted. "Her body is rejecting the serum. The coal must be deteriorating her organs from the inside out."

"So, are you telling me…" I stared at him. He looked at me grimly.

"We just killed her." He told me.

** xxx **

"Oliver, something's wrong." Skylar moaned, rubbing her neck uncomfortably. I looked at her worriedly, noting that her skin was paler and the black webbing had grown larger. I spun around to look at Chase, who was desperately mixing chemicals.

"Why haven't you found the antidote yet? You're supposed to be perfect!" I snapped.

"You know what really helps in a high-pressure situation? You interrupting me every five seconds to ask me why I haven't found the antidote yet." Chase snapped irritably.

"Sorry, but have you?" I insisted. Chase looked at me, then shook his head. "I knew we shouldn't have given her coal."

"Coal? You gave me coal?!" Skylar demanded, overhearing the last bit. She stared at me in horror.

"Coal? Is that what you heard? Why would I inject you with your one true, very lethal, weakness? That's the craziest thing I ever heard!" I exclaimed. She looked at me, disbelief on her face. I pointed at Chase. "He did it."

"Okay, yes, I was the one who suggested shocking your system with coal," Chase admitted, giving me a glare, "but I've also said that you should never mix superpowers with science."

"When did you say that?" I demanded.

"Just now! Keep up!" He snapped. Suddenly, Skylar began to cough violently, releasing a cloud of black smoke. I stared at her, then looked back at Chase.

"I must have given her way too much." he decided, also looking at her. "Her body's rejecting it and expelling it as a vapor."

"Is it dangerous?" I asked, concerned. Skylar coughed again, and this time the smoke engulfed the vase of flowers I'd brought her. The smoke surrounded the flowers, before dissolving them.

"Just to living things." Chase gulped.

** Kaz's POV **

"Petey! Petey!" Dani shouted, looking under the couch.

"Petey!" I called. "C'mon out! The butcher only wanted to borrow a cup of sugar!"

"Let me guess, you lost the pig." Calla observed, leaning against the wall corner on the stairs.

"No. We were playing a fame of Hide-and-Seek, and we underestimated his skills." Dani lied. I chuckled, amused, then looked back at Calla.

"Yeah, we lost the pig." I confirmed. She checked her watch.

"And in under three hours." She looked over her shoulder. "Bree! You owe me twenty bucks!"

"What? You guys lost the pig already?" Bree demanded, running down the stairs.

"Sorry." Dani apologized. Bree glared at us, then pulled a twenty out of her pocket, and handed it to a smirking Calla. "Oh, crap."

"What's up, baby?" I looked up. She was staring at the door to the veranda. The  _open_  door. "Oh, crap."

We all raced onto the veranda, terrified that Petey had accidently fallen off the edge. Bree, Dani, and Calla all looked downwards, towards the street, while I looked up to the sky. "Petey!" I shouted.

"Kaz, why are you looking up?" Bree questioned, looking at me.

"You know that expression 'when pigs fly'?" I replied, not sparing her a glance as I searched the skies.

"Yeah, and do you know the more accurate expression 'when pigs plummet to the street'?" She countered. Oh, right. I looked back down.

"Petey?" Dani called, sounding a little heartbroken.

"Found him." Bree grabbed Dani's shoulder and turned the short-haired girl around. Petey was standing just inside the penthouse, a few feet away from the door, the now closed door. "Hey, Kaz, did you close the door?"

"Wasn't me." I replied.

"Petey must have done it." Dani reasoned.

"Don't be ridiculous. Pigs can't close doors." Calla rolled her eyes. Petey stepped onto Calla's IPad, and accidently pressed the button to lock the door. "But apparently, they can lock them."

"Stand back. I'll use my electrokinesis to break the glass." Dani offered.

"You can't." Calla stopped her. "Chase just reinforced all the windows with this new polymer we designed. It's designed to withstand missiles."

"So, you're saying we're stuck out here?" Bree demanded, looking at her.

"Unless we can get Petey to open the door, yeah." Calla sighed. We all looked towards the pig, then began to try and convince the barnyard animal to try and step back onto the IPad. After about five minutes, we got lucky – the front door to the penthouse opened up, and Mrs. Ramsay walked in.

"Oh, yay. Mrs. Ramsay's home early." Dani sighed in relief.

"How did she get in?" Calla murmured to Bree. The older girl shrugged, unsure.

"Hello!" Mrs. Ramsay sung, waving her fingers at us.

"Hi. We're-" Bree began to explain, but Mrs. Ramsay cut hero off.

"Goodbye!" She told us, suddenly looking grouchy. She swiped the IPad off the ground and placed it inside her oversized bag.

"I don't believe it." Calla stared at her, shocked. "She's a thief, and Petey is her muscle."

"I told you taking that pig in was a bad idea!" Bree snapped at us.

"Okay, but to be fair, you were worried about him making a mess, not engaging in a pig-people partnership to rob us!" I retorted.

** Oliver's POV **

"Okay, using your force field to seal in the vapor was a good idea." I commented to Chase, looking at the translucent, blue sphere surrounding Skylar. He nodded, too focused on what he was doing to look away.

"It gives us enough time to figure out an antidote." He agreed. I looked behind me as Skylar began to cough even harder. I flinched as the gas began to seep through cracks in the force field.

"Uh, Chase?" I demanded, getting his attention. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the force field. "I thought you said your force field was impenetrable."

"It is." He insisted. "It's built to withstand lasers, bullets, even atomic explosions, not alien freak gas."

"I told you this was going to happen." I sighed. He frowned, confused.

"What? When did you tell me that?" He questioned.

"Just now! Keep up!" I snapped. More gas began to leak through the cracks.

"If that gas escapes, and spreads into the vents, it'll kill everyone in the building." Chase worried. I looked at him, startled.

"That's thousands of people." I realized, including my sister and the rest of the team. Chase nodded, a grim look set on his face.

"I think you know what has to be done." He told me. Before I could answer, he stepped away, then grabbed a long device, similar in design to a Sonic Screwdriver, off of the consol to the far left. He walked back over to me, and held the object out to me. After a moment, I looked at him.

"Dude, you're holding an electric toothbrush; I got nothing." I shrugged helplessly. He rolled his eyes.

"No, it's a sonic de-atomizer." He explained. "It'll stop the vapor at its source by sending a lethal blast of energy through her body."

"Lethal." I repeated. He wanted me to…to kill her?

"Yes." Chase confirmed. "The only way to stop the vapor from spreading is to destroy Skylar."

"You mean kill her." I corrected. Using the word destroy was just his way of not admitting to what he was asking me to do. "Absolutely not."

"Then I'll do it." He sighed. I snatched the device away from him before he could.

"No!" I shouted, shaking my head. "No. I'm not letting you end her life. That girl means everything to me. She's the reason I wake up in the morning. I can't imagine a life without her."

"Yeah? Well, the girl I love is sitting upstairs, and if that gas gets out, she'll die, just like everyone else in Davenport Tower." Chase snapped. "I'm sorry Oliver, I like Skylar as much as the next guy, but one life isn't worth a thousand."

Suddenly, a piece of Chase's force field broke off. It was a small piece, but a piece all the same. "Look, if you're not going to do it, then I'll take the space witch down."

"No!" I exclaimed, pulling away as he tried to rip the de-atomizer from my hands. Skylar stood up and held her hands out in front of her, and blasted a bolt of orange energy right at us. It missed Chase, but unfortunately for me, it hit me right in the chest, knocking me to the ground.

Skylar fell to her knees, winded, as the vapor disappeared. "Skylar?" Chase rushed over to her. He helped her up, then looked at her in disbelief when the black webbing disappeared and color flooded back into her cheeks. "You're okay."

"I'm not." I groaned, using the cyber desk to hoist myself up. "But that's cool. Focus on her."

"And you just used one of your superpowers." Chase added. Skylar stared at him, then looked down at her hands.

"I did? I did!" She exclaimed, beaming and jumping once in excitement.

"I guess all that vapor was just part of the healing process." Chase realized.

"So, then the serum worked." I smiled, limping over to them. Damn, that girl could pack a punch.

"It totally did." Skylar looked at us, her mouth open in a smile. "And it's because of Chase."

She hugged him for a moment, then pulled away and looked at him sharply. "Wait a second, space witch?"

"Skylar, I'm sorry, but I thought everyone was going to die-" He quickly tried to explain himself, but she cut him off.

"So you were going to sacrifice me to save everyone else. I get it. Saving people sometimes means sacrifices. Every hero knows that." She assured him. "But space witch?"

"I should go." Chase realized, backing a way. She nodded in agreement.

"Hey, I helped too." I reminded her, hoping for a hug. She nodded.

"No, you tried to take credit for his work." She reminded me. She put her hand on my shoulder. "But, you did try to stop him from destroying me, so thank you, Oliver."

Then, she kissed me on the cheek, and headed over to the hyperlift. "You coming?" She called over her shoulder, while I was still taking in the feel of her soft lips on my cheek. I smiled, then raced to follow her.

** Kaz's POV **

"Oh, come on!" I complained, watching Mrs. Ramsay walk down the stairs from the bedrooms, carrying a stack of video games. "Not my video games! You're a monster!"

"Those are Ollie's." Dani offered.

"Oh. Never mind!" I called.

"Hey, Bree, what'd you do last night?" Bree asked, speaking to herself. "Oh, nothing. Just got fleeced by an old lady and her pig."

"Hey, look!" Calla exclaimed. "There's an open window. Ugh, too high to climb to."

"But Kaz and I can fly up there, sneak in, and surprise 'em." Dani grinned.

"Great, but what about us?" Bree questioned. I thought about it.

"Use your super speed and your super brains." I suggested.

"For what?" Bree demanded. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I was just trying to make you feel useful." I replied.

"How about I make my bionic kick useful?" Bree snapped.

** Xxx **

"Shh." Dani hissed as we slowly crept down the stairs. The window had led right into Davenport's room, putting us on the second floor. When we finally got a clear view of the first floor, Mrs. Ramsay was just finishing zipping up her bag.

"Well, that about does it, Petey." She announced, smiling at the pig. "Let's head over to Big Sal's pawn shop on Fifth Street."

"You're not going anywhere." I declared, stepping into her line of vision. Dani followed behind, ready to use her powers if necessary.

"How'd you get in here?" Mrs. Ramsay demanded, confused.

"It was easy." Dani brushed off her question. "How'd you train a pig to steal?"

"I had to." The older woman retorted defensively. "The ferret wasn't pulling his weight."

"Well, it's over now. We're here to stop you and Petey." Dani told her.

"Speaking of whom, where is that adorable little porker?" I asked, looking around.

Suddenly, a small, fast moving mass hit me in the legs, knocking me over. Dani went to help me up, but retracted her hand quickly, the tips of her fingers red and bloody. "He bit me!" She exclaimed, aghast.

Petey walked out from behind the couch, carrying a weapon in his hands. I recognized it instantly – it was the Plasma Gun that Calla had been trying to improve this morning.

"Usually, I don't roll without my silencer, but this'll do." Mrs. Ramsay decided, taking the weapon from Petey and pointing it at us. But before she could fire, the fireplace wall behind us slid open, and Oliver, Skylar, and Chase walked out. Skylar and Chase immediately noticed the armed woman, though Oliver's attention was drawn to Petey.

"Oh, look! It's a pig. Kaz, you've always wanted a pig." Then he noticed Mrs. Ramsay. "AH! SHE'S GOT A GUN!'

"Look out!" Chase shouted as Mrs. Ramsay pushed the trigger. We all ducked, then Skylar threw one hand out and blasted Mrs. Ramsay with a ball of orange energy. The woman hit the ground, unconscious, as the blast of energy from Calla's weapon hit the ceiling.

"Are you guys okay?" Skylar asked, looking at us.

"Well, my faith in pigs is a bit shaken." Dani admitted. I nodded in agreement, then something occurred to me.

"Skylar, did you just…" I looked at her, amazed. She beamed.

"Yep. I got my powers back." She said it as if she still couldn't believe it for herself.

"Wow. Incredible." Dani smiled, happy for our friend. I patted Oliver on the shoulder.

"Good job, man. You finally did it." After so long, he finally managed to save her powers, just like he promised.

"Actually, it was Chase." Skylar admitted.

"Oh, that's gotta sting." I looked at my best friend apologetically. Though, I had the feeling that this wasn't something anyone would let him forget for a while. "

** Oliver's POV **

"I can't believe I was duped by a barnyard animal." Kaz grumbled. "Again."

I patted his shoulder, amused. "The police officer said Mrs. Ramsay's been using the pig for over a year to break into dozens of high-end apartments." Chase told us, walking away from the uniformed officer. Officers had just taken Mrs. Ramsay into custody, and were bringing Petey to some farm where he could live with his own kind. "But now they're in custody, thanks to Skylar."

"Really, we should be thanking you." Kaz said to Chase, but he was looking at me for my reaction. "I mean, you're the one who got Skylar's powers back."

"We get it." I sighed irritably. "Chase is great. He's the best thing ever. Everyone loves Chase."

"Obviously." The older boy agreed. Skylar laughed lightly.

"You know, I always thought that if I got my powers back, I'd be using them to stop an asteroid or something, but I guess stopping a pig from stealing video games is a close second."

"We should go out for dinner to celebrate." I suggested, grinning.

"That's a great idea, Ollie." Dani complimented me. She smiled teasingly. "Are you sure it wasn't Chase's?"

"Actually, it was." I admitted.

"Let's go." Skylar encouraged us, heading for the door. As we reached the elevator, I frowned.

"Hey, are we forgetting anything?" I asked. I just couldn't shake this nagging feeling.

"Nah, I don't think so." Chase assured me. Five minutes later, just as we caught a taxi, he turned on his heel and ran back towards the building, muttering something about how Bree and Calla were going to kill him for leaving them behind.


	4. The Superhero Code

** Calla's POV **

"Hey, what are you working on?" Skylar questioned, sitting down next to me. I didn't look away from my laptop, instead continuing to type out the correct algorithms.

"Project. Davenport started selling my Paraguns and Plasma guns to the government, and apparently, they're a fan of it." I answered, pausing to look over my work. "I've been asked to design a new weapon for the police that can take a full-grown man down without physically injuring him. The Paragun can do it, but it doesn't always work, depending on the size of the person, and tranquilizers don't work fast enough, nor are they efficient, so I'm testing to see how well it would work if I combined my tech with basic tranquilizing serums."

"So, your job for Davenport is to be a weapon's designer?" The alien asked, a disapproving frown on her face. I shrugged.

"Sometimes. Most of the weapon designs are for my personal use, but I'll sometimes sell them. This'll be my first government contract." I smiled proudly – a government contract meant future funding for projects. "Plus, the new weapon will be non-lethal. If the police had access to more non-lethal weapons, they'd be able to safely take an armed criminal down without having to kill or physically injure him, which will lead to less police-related deaths. And less deaths is always a good thing."

"Government contract. You gonna be a millionaire?" She grinned. "What are you going to spend the money on?"

I glanced at her, smiling. "I have a couple of ideas." I admitted.

"Lunch is ready!" Oliver called. I glanced over my shoulder to see most of the team gathering in the dining room. It was Oliver's turn to prepare the food, which meant something healthy but delicious. We'd all been assigned days of the week to cook, though some people's cooking were more appreciated than others. Oliver turned out to be pretty good in a kitchen, so his meals were the most popular, though for some reason that I can't explain, everyone seemed to want to eat out when it was my turn to cook.

"I'll grab the plates." Chase offered as Skylar and I headed into the dining area.

"Oh, just like you grabbed the heart of the girl I love?" Oliver retorted. Chase sighed.

"Still not over me getting Skylar her powers back, huh?" My boyfriend guessed.

"Nope." Oliver denied. "And you'll notice your tomato slice is very thin."

"Wow, you showed him." Dani commented sarcastically.

"Yeah. And I also skimped on his lettuce!" Her brother added, not noticing the sarcasm.

"Oh no. Stop the madness." Dani laughed. Bree sighed and got up from the table.

"I'll get the plates." She insisted, walking past both the boys. She bent down to open the bottom cupboard in the island, but when she pulled the doors open, dozens of plate shards tumbled out, scattering across the floor. "What the heck? Why are they all broken?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Oliver chuckled sheepishly. "I was doing the dishes and I accidentally broke them with my super strength."

"That still doesn't answer why you put them back in the cupboard." I frowned.

"Because now we have service for 36 tiny people." He reasoned. I frowned, then looked at Dani. She shrugged.

"You ever seen the movie The Borrowers?" Was her only explanation. Skylar shrugged, and stepped past Bree to open the cupboard above the sink, where we kept a supply of paper plates and utensils.

"Ooh, lunch." Kaz grinned, walking into the kitchen. I frowned, looking at him. He seemed…neater than usual.

"Hey Kaz, I didn't smell you come in. Did you shower?" Bree commented bluntly. He took it well, smiling.

"Yeah, I had to. My younger brother, Kyle, is coming to visit." He explained. "And also the pen I was chewing on exploded all over my face."

"I didn't know you had a brother." I hummed, taking a paper plate from Skylar. He nodded.

"Five of them, actually." He admitted. I stared, caught off guard by the number. "But Kyle is my only younger brother, and growing up, we never really bonded, but now that he's older and I moved away, I think he missed me. This is our chance to finally become best buds."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "That must be him." Kaz declared, walking over to the front door and opening it. A short, shaggy-haired boy, probably in his early teens, raced in, carrying a backpack and a blue crate. "Kyle." Kaz grinned. His brother handed Kaz the backpack, dumped the crate on the ground, and raced past him.

"The bionic people!" The younger boy exclaimed, rushing over to Chase and Bree. "Hi. I'm Kyle."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're more excited to see them than me." Kaz accused, hurt.

"I am." Kyle assured him, throwing the words over his shoulder before turning back to Chase and Bree.

"Hey Kyle." Oliver greeted, amused. The younger boy smiled at him, then looked at Dani.

"Oh, right!" He raced back over to the blue crate, opened it up, then lifted a small, grey and white cat out. He carried the squirming animal back over to Dani. "Mom says we can't afford to keep feeding her. She eats a LOT."

"I know." Dani took the cat from him and cuddled it in her arms. "Hi Katy. You want to stay in the penthouse with us? Huh?"

"Dani!" Bree looked at her like she was crazy. The short-haired girl frowned.

"What? You said no more pigs, but you didn't say anything about cats." She defended herself.

"If it tries to rob us, I'm holding you responsible." I told her. She nodded.

"Seems reasonable." Dani agreed.

"So, anyway," Kyle continued, following Chase and I to the couch. "When my mom told me that Kaz had taken an internship with bionic heroes, I had to come here to meet you myself."

Bree smiled, touched, before grabbing Kyle's bag off the ground where Kaz dropped it. She headed upstairs while Kyle sat down next to Chase and I. "So, Kyle, now that you've met them, what do you say you and I get out of here?" Kaz suggested. "We can take our chances with some street meat."

"Kaz, not now. The grown-ups are talking." The younger boy brushed him off. I raised my hand to my mouth, pretending to couch in an attempt to disguise my laugh. "I can't believe I'm talking to Chase Davenport. You're my favorite bionic hero."

Chase leaned back on the couch, one arm around my shoulders and the other lying on the back of the couch. "I get that all the time." He smirked cockily. We all exchanged looks.

"Really? Because I've never heard that." Skylar told him. "Seriously. Never. Not one time."

"You're not even my favorite." I added, teasing him. He looked at me.

"Who's your favorite?" He asked, confused.

"Rio." I replied with a shrug. He was about to argue, but decided not to at the last minute.

"Okay, Kyle. Your room's all set." Bree announced, walking back downstairs. Kyle grinned at her gratefully.

"Thanks! Wait till my friends hear that Bionic Bree made my bed!" The kid exclaimed excitedly before rushing upstairs to check out his friends. Bree watched him go.

"Or, more accurately," she said, "Bionic Bree just tossed your bag into an empty room."

"Great." Kaz complained. "All this time, I thought my brother actually wanted to see me, but he was really just using me to get to you guys."

"Yeah, how about that?" Chase chuckled.

"Chase." I warned. He looked at me innocently.

"What? Can you blame him?" He defended himself. "Who'd want to hang out with the intern?"

"Yeah, why'd you tell your mom that anyway?" Oliver inquired, looking at Kaz.

"I was trying to come up with a cover story." Kaz explained. "It was either that, or the chauffer, and I didn't think I could pull off the hat. Wait…why am I even lying to him? I'm just going to go tell him that I'm a superhero."

"You can't." Skylar stopped him before he could. "The Superhero Code says that no hero can reveal his or her true identity to a Normo, thus exposing all heroes' existence to the general public."

"Can't I make an exception for my brother?" Kaz questioned, surprised.

"No." Skylar stood firm about her point. "People fear the unknown. If they found out that we have powers, they could turn against us."

"She's right." Oliver agreed.

"Okay, yeah, but what about those two?" Kaz pointed at Bree and Chase. "The whole world knows they're bionic, and they're pretty much celebrities."

"Yeah, now, but when they were first outed, everyone freaked." I told them.

"It was about a month before everyone calmed down enough for Mr. Davenport to even let us out of the house." Bree agreed. "And the only reason the only reason they came around was because of my likable charm and charisma."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." I commented, earning a glare from my friend.

"They came around because we were able to explain our abilities with science." Chase corrected. He looked at the others. "Unlike fire, ice, lightning, and ET over here."

Skylar stepped forward and he flinched back. "Please don't zap me."

"I'll take a zap." Oliver offered. Skylar looked at him. "Or anything at this point."

"Kyle's my brother." Kaz reminded everyone. "He won't tell anybody that I have superpowers."

"Yeah he will." "It's Kyle." Dani and Oliver both commented. Kaz gave them a sour look, but didn't argue with them.

"Sorry, Kaz, but no." Skylar refused. He sighed, defeating.

"Kaz, you don't need to be a superhero to bond with your little brother." Dani told him. "Just spend some time with him."

"I guess." He agreed reluctantly as Kyle sauntered back down the stairs.

"Well, Bree, I can see making beds isn't one of your bionic abilities." He commented, shaking his head. Bree forced a fake smile onto her face.

"He is so cute." She said sarcastically before looking at Kaz. "When is he leaving?"

"How about I give you the grand tour?" Kaz offered, smiling at Kyle. The younger boy thought about it for a moment.

"Can Chase come?" He asked. Kaz hesitated.

"Actually, I…okay." Chase agreed.

** Kaz's POV **

Well, this kinda sucked. I was hoping to do what Dani said and spend time with my brother, but Chase just had to tag along.

"Consider yourself lucky, Kyle." Chase commented as we reached Mission Command. "You're the first outsider ever to see the heart of our bionic operation."

"Cool!" Kyle grinned.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, you'll have no pictures of your historic visit because Chase made this a camera-free zone." I pointed out. "That's right. Chase. Not me. Just to be clear, it was the bionic guy."

"But instead of a picture of Mission Command, how would you like a signed 8 X 10 of me?" Chase offered. "They're super glossy so my bionic smile really pops."

"Sweet." Kyle replied, excited. Chase pointed at a stack of pictures sitting on a shelf in the far corner.

"Go ahead, pick one out. There's like ten different pictures." He encouraged. Kyle ran over to check the pictures out, while I pulled Chase to the side.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"It's no biggie. There's like 500. Help yourself." He told me.

"No, I mean, why do you keep one-upping me in front of my brother?" I hissed. Chase looked surprise.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I mean, I can't help it if he thinks I'm awesome." He replied. I glared at him, and he sighed. He looked past me, towards Kyle, then back at me. "Look, I'll make you a deal."

"I'm listening." This should be good.

"I need to run an errand, so if I you cover for me with Calla and the others, I'll leave you and Kyle alone for the rest of his time here. Deal?" He looked at me hopefully. I hesitated before replying.

"Why can't Calla know?" I asked.

"It's a long story, which I can't tell you yet." He told me apologetically. "But it's nothing bad, I swear."

"Alright, deal." I agreed. He grinned.

"Great. I should be back in a few hours. As for Kyle…just keep him in here and out of all the unauthorized areas."

"Okay." I agreed. Chase nodded, smiling, then left through one of the rock wall passage ways. I turned around to face my brother, who had picked a picture of Chase in his a white uniform out of the pile. "So, you ready to finish the rest of the tour?"

"Oh, you mean the guy who seems awesome at first, but then you get to know him, and you realize that he's actually a not-awesome fun killer?" I questioned. Kyle thought about it.

"Yeah, I get what you mean." He agreed. "His powers are cool, but he's kinda uptight. He's got all these rules…"

"Yes, yes he does." Finally, something I could use against Chase. "And you know what else? He thinks that you shouldn't go in the unauthorized areas because they're too dangerous."

"Too dangerous?" Kyle echoed, aghast. "Hello. I skateboard off people's roofs!"

"Exactly!" I agreed. "But you're in luck, because I have access to every room in this place."

"You do?" Kyle sounded surprised. "But you're just the intern."

"I'm not just the intern." I told him, smiling. "I'm running this operation."

"Yeah, right." Kyle scoffed. "You?"

"Yes me." I retorted, offended. "And I'm going to prove it to you right now by showing you the top secret weapons room, which is right through here."

I pressed a button on the cyber desk, and pointed to the rock wall to my left. Unfortunately, it was the one on my right that opened up. "Right through here." I corrected before leading him into the weapon's room.

** Calla's POV **

"I'm going to kill him." I decided, shaking in anger as I stormed down the stairs. Dani, Skylar, and Bree all looked up as I entered the room, the former two having been playing a game of chess while the former watched TV. "I'm going to kill him."

"I don't know what this is about, but I'm making popcorn." Dani grinned before sneaking off to the kitchen.

"Okay, what's wrong? You look like you're homicidal." Bree observed.

"You're going to be too." I assured her. "Guess what I found in the washing machine."

"Ooh! I love this game!" Skylar grinned. "Uh…two buttons and a nickel."

"No." I pulled the objects out from behind my back. "My Paragun and Bree's tablet."

"What?" Bree demanded, jumping to her feet. I showed her the cracked screen of her tablet, then held up the now useless weapon. The hammer inside the gun was shattered, making the trigger completely useless. Not only was one of my very inventions, and favorite weapons, gone forever, but this would put my government project way behind schedule. "What were they doing in the washing machine?"

"I could take a guess." I commented. "Oliver. I bet he destroyed it with one of his powers, then tried to hide the evidence."

"Did he at least finish the load? I had a pair of jeans in there." Skylar muttered, frowning.

"You know what? That's it." Bree declared.

"Guys, come on. That doesn't sound like Ollie at all." Dani defended her brother. "And you have no proof."

"Doesn't matter. We're still going to kill him." Bree declared. She followed me out onto the veranda, where Oliver was reading, a plate of chocolate dipped bananas.

"Oliver!" I snapped, tearing the book out of his hands. He looked up, surprised.

"Hey! I was reading that!" He protested.

"We need to talk." I told him, placing the book on the table and crossing my arms. He straightened up in his seat, then looked at us in confusion.

"What's wrong?" He asked, pretending he didn't know.

"We know about my tablet and her Paragun. You broke them, then tried to hide it." Bree accused.

"What? No I didn't." He retorted, shaking his head.

"Oh, don't play dumb." I snapped. "You and your messed-up powers have been breaking stuff all over the house."

"Besides the plates, I didn't break anything!" Oliver exclaimed, getting to his feet.

"So I suppose my telescope just broke itself?" I questioned, gesturing to the mass of bronze pieces sitting by the edge of the veranda.

"Okay, yeah, that was me." He admitted. "But it wasn't my powers. I just get really excited when I see Mercury, and I was going to replace it for you when I got the chance."

"Look, it's one thing to accidently break something, but it's another thing to hide it, and then lie to us about it to our faces." Bree accused. Oliver glared at us.

"I didn't lie, and I'm actually getting better with my powers." He retorted defensively. I laughed once, amused.

"Oh yeah? Well, here's a reality check for you, Oliver." I said coolly. "You may think you're getting better, but the rest of us know that you're not."

He flinched, obviously hurt by my words, but to his credit, the younger boy didn't back down. "Says the only one of us who has never had to worry about losing control of your powers, because you don't have any."

"Well, I don't need any to be of use to this team. Can you say the same?" I asked, smirking. He raised his chin.

"You sure about that?" He questioned. I looked at him for a moment, then looked at Bree.

"I'm going for fro-yo, because if I stay here for another minute, I'm actually going to kill him." I declared, pushing past her and storming towards the door.

"Wait up!" Bree called, racing after me.

** Kaz's POV **

"And here we are." I announced, leading Kyle into the weapon's room. Weapons were hanging on the wall, perfectly spaced apart, as if someone (Calla, definitely Calla) had spent hours placing them just right. At the far corner of the room was a large, heavy-duty computer, the same one I'd been specifically told not to touch. And just because she didn't believe me, Calla had put a metal fence around the thing. Seriously, that girl needed to chill.

"This place is awesome!" Kyle grinned. I smiled, proud.

"Yeah, well, just another day at the office for me, Kyle." I replied, leaning against the wall as he examined one of the weapons. "I guess I'm a lot cooler than you thought, huh?"

"Yeah, but to be fair, the bar was pretty low." He admitted. He looked at the computer. "What is this thing?"

"Oh, that's a mainframe." I replied. He frowned.

"What's a mainframe?" He asked.

"It's a complicated system of mains and frames." That was easier than saying that I had no idea.

"What does it do?" Kyle continued with his questions.

"Oh, sorry, that is top secret." I told him apologetically. He pouted.

"But I'm your brother, and I'm great with secrets." He insisted. "Kevin Stuart asked me not to tell anyone about his year-old back zit, and I only told, like, three people."

"Sorry buddy. No can do." Maybe Oliver and Dee were right about my brother not being able to keep a secret. "We should probably head back upstairs."

"Oh, maybe Chase is back!" Kyle grinned.

"What's a few more minutes?" I told him. He smiled, and went back to examining the weapons and the mainframe. I looked out the door, making sure that no one was coming. "Just try not to…" I trailed off when an alarm started to go off. I looked back to see Kyle standing past the metal gate, in front of the mainframe. "…touch anything."

" _Intruder detected."_  MISS announced.  _"Lockdown commencing."_

"Kyle, you should probably get out of there." I didn't know what MISS meant by 'lockdown', but it didn't sound good. Kyle went to step out of the mainframe's cage, but the door slammed shut before he could.

" _Lockdown complete."_  MISS declared.  _"Activating electrified perimeter."_

And just like that, the fence sprung to life, electricity running through it. Kyle grinned, amazed by the technology. "Cool!"

"Hey, uh, buddy? Quick question: when did you tell Mom that you'd be home?" I asked, chuckling nervously as I looked at the electrified fence. "Because right now, it's looking like never."

** Xxx **

"Kaz, I can't squeeze through there." Kyle argued with me. I rolled my eyes, and gestured to the tiny area between the bottom of the electrified gate and the floor.

"C'mon! You've got, like, two inches here!" I insisted, just as Chase ran in.

"Why is that alarm going off?" He demanded, looking at us sharply. "Why are you in here? What did you do?"

"Well, I was showing Kyle around, and then all of a sudden, the gates locked, got all electric-y, and that thing starts blaring." I explained. "Don't you people have alarms that are a little less jarring? Perhaps some wind chimes or the gentle chirp of a cricket?"

"MISS, shut the alarm off." Chase sighed. The alarm muted immediately. Chase looked at me. "Why would you even let him in there?"

"To prove that I'm cooler than you." I reported. He sighed. "I think it's working."

"MISS, let him out. Kyle's not an intruder." Chase told the computer.

"Lockdown mode activated. Password required." MISS replied. Chase opened his mouth to reply, but I stopped him before he could waste his time.

"Kyle accidently touched something and changed the passwords. I already tried." I told him. He looked at me, exasperated.

"Why would he touch anything in there?" He demanded.

"He's my brother; we're touchers." I reminded him. "You know what? That's it. I'm getting Dani."

She could open the cage no problem as the electricity wouldn't affect her at all. "No." Chase hissed quietly, stopping me. "Kyle can't know about her powers, remember?"

"Then what do you propose?" I demanded.

"I'm going to have to use my bionics to get him out." The older boy decided. Kyle's eyes lit up at those words.

"Yes! Awesome!" He shouted gleefully.

"Oh, it's not that awesome!" I snapped. I grabbed a large set of bolt cutters off a nearby shelf. "What if I just used these steel bolt cutters to cut through the cage?"

"No." Chase shook his head quickly. "If you touch metal to the cage, the jolt will electrocute you in an instant. Let me try using my telekinesis to control them."

He raised one hand to his temple, and held the other out. The bolt cutters floated out of my hands, and up towards the gate.

"Whoa!" Kyle laughed in amazement.

"Stand back, Kyle." Chase warned. My brother nodded and backed up against the mainframe. Chase focused for a moment, then touched the bolt cutters to the cage. And that was when everything went wrong. A jolt of electricity raced through the bolt cutters and they rebounded, straight towards an unprepared Chase. They hit him in the head, knocking him down and out.

"Chase!" I exclaimed, rushing over to him.

"Is he okay?" Kyle demanded as I examined him.

"Yeah, I think so." I assured him. He did look okay, I thought, though judging by how hard those bolt cutters hit him, I could tell he was going to have one hell of a concussion. "But I have to say, for a bionic hero that was very disappointing."

** Calla's POV **

"Apologize." Dani insisted, standing in front of me with her arms crossed.

"No thanks. Kinda busy trying to order parts for the Paragun I have to rebuild." I replied.

"You were kinda rude back there, and by kinda, I mean definitely." The younger girl insisted.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." I commented. Dani rolled her eyes.

"Bree?" She insisted, looking at my best friend. She didn't look up from her magazine, at least not at first. But when a loud explosion came from inside the penthouse, we all shot straight up.

"Damn it, Oliver." I muttered, following Bree and Dani inside.

"Oliver, I thought I told you no more-" Bree stopped herself, frowning in confusion when she saw Skylar kneeling by a suddenly broken and burnt coat rack, a jacket on the ground, burnt to a crisp. "Skylar?"

"Hi…" She smiled guiltily.

"Why is the coat rack smoking?" Dani questioned, confused. Skylar feigned confusion herself.

"Is it?" She looked down, and her eyes widened in an attempt to look surprised. "Oh, it is."

"And is that my leather jacket?" I demanded, recognizing the article of clothing. It had been a graduation gift from my brother.

"No." The alien girl lied.

"Give me." I demanded, holding out my hand. She sighed, stood up, and handed me my now ruined jacket. "This was my favorite." I whined, disappointed.

"Skylar, how could you do this?" Bree questioned, more shocked than angry.

"Okay, it was an accident." Skylar said quickly, her tone apologetic. "I just…I haven't quite mastered my powers since I got them back."

"So you burnt my jacket?" I questioned. She nodded, looking at her feet.

"And I broke your Paragun. And, Bree, your tablet. And I shredded your purse."

"My purse?" Bree demanded, eyes wide.

"Oh, you haven't found that yet?" Skylar asked, laughing sheepishly. She sighed. "Sorry."

"Great. And I took it all out on Oliver." Damn. I guess Dani was kinda right – I lashed out, and I could be cold sometimes.

"I'm really sorry." Skylar apologized again. She rubbed her arm, looking worried. "I'm just scared, guys. What if I never get my powers back to the way they used to be?"

"Skylar, you will." Dani promised her friend. Bree nodded.

"It's just gonna take a little bit of time to get used to them again." She agreed. "It's like riding a bike. Or whatever your alien equivalent is to riding a bike."

"That would be riding a bike." Skylar informed her, frowning.

"I'm trying to make a point. Don't start acting normal now." Bree snapped light-heartedly.

"Skylar, you only got some of your powers back, right?" I asked. She frowned, then nodded.

"Yeah. Super strength, super speed, invisibility, portal creation, and my energy blasts." She listed them. I nodded.

"Skylar, you mastered superpowers before the age of fifteen. How hard can it be to master five, right?" I asked. She nodded. "Right. Now, does anyone know where Oliver is?"

"You guys know where Oliver is?" I asked. Dani smirked.

"You gonna go apologize now?" She asked.

"Yes, Dani." That girl could ride my last nerves sometimes. Her smirk grew.

"Bedroom." She replied, spinning on her heel and walking away, as she now considered her duty as his sister done. I shook my head, and headed up the stairs to find the cryokinetic.

** Kaz's POV **

"Hey, you okay?" I asked gently, helping Chase sit up. He groaned, one hand rubbing the slowly growing bump on his forehead.

"I taste metal." He moaned. I nodded.

"Must be from the voltage your body absorbed." I decided. He leaned over and spit a piece of metal out of his mouth. "Or it was a piece of the bolt cutter."

"Help!" I spun around at the sound of my brother's distressed voice. To my shock (pun not intended), the amount of electricity running through the gate had apparently doubled.

"When the bolt cutters hit the cage, it must have cause the voltage to surge." I realized.

"If you knew this wasn't safe, why would you let me in here?" Kyle demanded.

"You wanted to go in there!" I exclaimed.

"What do I know? I'm just a kid!" Kyle retorted. "I still sleep in a race car bed!"

"Mom and Dad never bought me a race car bed." I complained. I'd begged them for years, but they always insisted it was too expensive.

"You gotta know how to work them." My brother reasoned. He flinched back when the voltage surged again, running down the cage.

"Chase, we have to do something." I looked at the older boy. He nodded slowly.

"Right." He started to get up, but only made it a couple of inches before he slid back down to the ground, his face green.

"On second thought, I got this." I didn't want him to puke – chances are, he'd make me clean it up for getting us all into this trouble in the first place. "Don't worry, Kyle. I'll get you out of this."

"Please." He rolled his eyes. "If the guy with bionic couldn't help me, what chance do you have?"

"What chance do I have?" I echoed before smirking. "I'll show you what chance I have."

I raised my fist, lit it on fire, then blasted a wave of flames at the hinges of the metal door. I melted the top hinges, then the bottom ones, and watched as the door fell to the ground with a clatter. Kyle stared, shocked.

"So, what do you think of your big brother now, huh?" I asked. Kyle stared at me for a second more, before he began to scream. He ran straight out the door, still screaming. "Not exactly the response I was hoping for."

** Calla's POV **

"Oliver?" I asked, knocking on the door to his and Kaz's room.

"Yeah." He called, letting Bree and I know that it was okay to come in. I walked into the room, smirking when I saw it. I hadn't checked out the guys room yet, though it seemed pretty cool. The dark green walls were covered in superhero posters, and to the left of the room, near the large window that overlooked the city, there was a TV and media center, with about every video game known to man, and a large couch that matched the décor. And right in the center of the room, a couple of feet away from their beds, there was a very cool foosball table.

Oliver was sitting on the couch, playing some war-like video game. "We should talk." Bree told him as we walked in, walking over. He paused the video game with a sigh.

"What? You going to accuse me of doing that?" He asked, gesturing to the ruined jacket in my hands. I shook my head.

"No, I know it wasn't you." I assured him. "Just like we know what happened to the rest of our stuff also wasn't your doing."

"Ha!" He snapped at us. "I told you I would never go around breaking people's stuff without telling them. What kind of jerk would do that?"

"Me." We looked over our shoulders to see Skylar and Dani standing in the doorway. The former looked at Oliver apologetically, guilt written all over her face.

"Oh." Oliver looked surprised for a moment, then shook his head to clear it. "Well, when you do it, it's adorable."

"It's taking me a while to get used to my powers again." Skylar explained. "Rather than admit it, I let them blame you for everything I destroyed. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Wow. It's just…the fact that you would throw me under the bus like that…" He grinned. "Yeah, we're all good here."

She smiled gratefully and hugged him.

"Okay. Now things can finally get back to normal around here." Bree sighed. Oliver turned around to face us.

"Not so fast." He told us. "I wish I could forgive you two so easily, but you attacked my character and accused me of lying. That's something I can never forgive."

As dramatic as his sister, I see. I opened my mouth to suggest a fix, but Bree beat me to it. "Not even if I set up daily one-on-one training sessions for you and Skylar to perfect your powers together?" She questioned, unknowingly stealing my idea.

"Bring it in, old friend." Oliver opened his arms and hugged her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Skylar stopped them. "Why should I have to train with Oliver every day to pay for something you did?"

"Would you rather pay for all the expensive things of ours that you ruined?" Bree challenged.

"Right." Skylar agreed, rubbing the back of her head. "Seems fair."

"Now, what about you, Calla?" Oliver questioned, looking at me expectantly. I crossed my arms, frowning at him suspiciously.

"What do you want?" I questioned. Oliver looked past me.

"Dee? Any suggestions?" He inquired.

"Oh, I know." Dani smirked. "Calla has to give up her cooking day to you permanently."

"Agreed." Oliver nodded. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, c'mon. My cooking's not that bad." I insisted.

"Yes, it is." Skylar, Bree, Oliver, and Dani all replied at once. Before I could object, we heard a very long, very panicked scream come from the main floor. We all exchanged looks, then raced downstairs to find what was going on. Bree caught Kyle by the shoulders as we hit the main floor, the poor kid completely freaking out for some reason.

"Whoa, Kyle!" Dani exclaimed as Bree released the boy. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" He repeated, staring at us with wide eyes. "My brother just shot fire out of his hand."

We all looked at each other, silently cursing Kaz. "Kyle, don't freak out."

"It's a little late for that." The younger boy retorted as Kaz and Chase walked out of the hyperlift.

"Can someone explain to me why he thinks he saw something that he clearly didn't see?" Skylar questioned, looking at Chase. He shrugged, wincing.

"I would, but after a few thousand volts of electricity passes through you, your short-term memory kind of…" He paused, then looked at me. "What's the word for 'goes'?"

"Kaz, what did you do?" I questioned, stepping up to Chase to get a closer look at a nasty looking bump on his forehead.

"My brother locked himself in the mainframe cage. I had to use one of my powers to break him out." Kaz explained. Kyle paused.

"Wait, one of your powers? How many do you have?" He inquired curiously.

"Several." Kaz replied instantly. Dani snorted in amusement.

"Honey, you have, like, two." She pointed out. Oliver pulled everyone, aside from Kyle, off to the side.

"Great, Kaz. Now he thinks you're a superhero." He hissed.

"What was I supposed to do?" Kaz retorted. "He was in trouble, and Chase had already knocked himself out with a pair of bolt cutters. I suppose I have to tell him everything now."

"What about the superhero code?" Oliver questioned, frowning.

"I have no choice. I'm sorry." Kaz turned to his brother. "Kyle, I've been keeping a really big secret from you and the rest of the world. I'm not supposed to tell you, because it could expose a lot of people and put them in danger, but you're my brother and I think it's right for you to know the truth."

"Oh, I know the truth." Kyle assured him. He pointed at Chase, Bree, and I accusingly. "These bionic freaks abducted you and filled you with machine parts to turn you into one of them!"

We all exchanged looks. Well, when someone supplies you with the perfect lie, you shouldn't waste it. "Absolutely." "Totally." "That's exactly what happened." We all replied.

"Technically, technically, I asked them for the bionics," Kaz lied, making it clear that no felonies had been committed…well, except for human experimentation, but I doubted Kyle would care about that, "so that I could help them save lives around the world."

"Right." I agreed, nodding.

"But congratulations! You now have a bionic brother!" Kaz added, grinning at Kyle. "Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kyle shrugged. Kaz's face fell at the disappointment in the kid's tone. "I mean, it's cool and all, but it'd be a lot cooler if you were a superhero."

"Superhero." Kaz repeated. He turned to us. "Do you hear this guy? Seriously, do you hear this guy?"

Dani laughed lightly at the frustration in Kaz's voice, taking his hand.

** xxx **

The rest of the weekend went by pretty smoothly. The boys watched some movies, Kyle got to see a bit of Kaz's training, and Chase recovered pretty quickly from his concussion. I, meanwhile, fixed the passwords in MISS' system, and added some child-proof locks to the system so it couldn't be screwed with by accident again.

"That was the best weekend ever." Kyle grinned as Kaz walked him to the front door. The rest of us were hanging in the kitchen, sitting around the island.

"Well, as long as you promise not to tell anyone about my bionic secret, you can come back and visit whenever you want." His brother told him. The kid's eyes lit up.

"Really?" He questioned, looking at everyone else for confirmation. When we all nodded, albeit some of the nods were reluctant, he beamed. "Thanks! So, when do I get my bionics?"

"Oh, you know, I asked Chase, and he said no." Kaz replied. Kyle looked disappointed, but it didn't last for long as Kaz walked the kid outside to help the kid catch a cab.

"I have to say, it was pretty smart of Kaz to pretend he was bionic." Chase mentioned. I nodded.

"Yeah. You should all say that you're bionic when using your powers in public. We won't have to hide as much, but it'll still keep the real source of your powers hidden from the public." I advised Skylar, Dani, and Oliver.

"Alrighty then." Oliver grinned. "I guess from now on, we're bionic."

Oliver punched the air downwards to emphasize how cool he thought it was, but accidently shot a blast of ice at Bree's feet, freezing them to the ground. "Seriously, Oliver? These are my new boots!" She protested, annoyed.

"Sorry." He apologized. Bree nodded, then shrugged.

"Eh, it's okay. Skylar was going to ruin them anyway." She admitted. Skylar threw her hands up into the air, frustrated, and walked away, much to all of our amusement.


	5. The Need for Speed

** Dani's POV **

"So, where's Chase taking you?" Skylar asked, leaning on the kitchen island. The boys were all outside on the veranda, working on their powers, while we sat inside, chatting. Calla and I were on the inside of the island, facing the others and the rest of the penthouse, while Bree and Skylar sat in a way that gave them a good view of city through the glass wall.

"I have no idea." Calla shrugged, picking an almond out of our snack bowl. She twisted it around in her fingers, then shrugged. "He just said he was taking me out for dinner tomorrow night."

"What's the occasion?" Bree inquired. Once again, Calla shrugged.

"Beats me. But hey, free dinner." We all laughed. I stopped, mid-laugh, though when the front door slowly opened up. A tall boy, a little older than Calla and Bree, stepped inside quietly, trying not to make any noise. He grinned at Calla and I, then held one finger in front of his lips, motioning for us to be silent.

I opened my mouth to address him – because, hello, random stranger walks into my home, I'm not going to keep quiet about it – but Calla spoke up first. "Hey, Skylar, Dani, have you guys ever heard the story of the time we threw a birthday party for Bree's stepbrother, but forgot to invite him?"

"No." Skylar frowned, noticing the strangely excited smile on Calla's face.

"Oh, you need to. Come on, Chase is the best at telling it." She pushed me gently off my chair, then motioned for Skylar to follow us outside. "We'll be back in one minutes, Bree."

"…Okay?" The girl replied, confused. Calla didn't let Skylar or I say anything until we were outside.

"Hey, what's going on?" Chase asked, smiling when he saw us.

"Who was that?" I ignored him, turning to Calla.

"Who?" Kaz questioned.

"Some guy just walked into the penthouse, and Calla doesn't seem to mind." I commented. Suddenly, we heard Bree scream.

"OH MY GOD!" She shrieked. Chase looked alarmed, but Calla laughed.

"It seems my brother's come for a visit." She told him, an amused smirk on her lips.

"Jaden's here? Why?" Chase frowned.

"I don't know, but if I had to guess, it has something to do with the very, very happy speedster inside." Calla chuckled in amusement.

** Xxx **

We waited about two minutes, then walked in on the two love birds. They were both on the couch, Bree pinning the older boy to the cushions. "Whoa." Ollie commented, as they made out on the couch. They broke apart when they heard us come in, Bree rolling off her boyfriend onto the cushions, a smile on her face.

"You said a minute!" She complained. The boy, Jaden, chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It's been three." Skylar informed them. She smiled at Jaden. "Hey."

"Hey." He smiled at her. The front door opened up again, and this time a short, rough-looking, spiky haired man walked in, dragging a couple of suit cased in with him.

"Thanks for the help with the suitcases." He grumbled to Jaden, who laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"Douglas, it's good to see you." Douglas went to hug the man. I looked between the two.

" _Hey, Ollie. They look alike to you?"_ I glanced at my brother. He paused for a moment, then nodded at me.

" _I think Bree mentioned that Davenport's their adoptive father. Maybe he's the biological one?"_ He guessed.

"Evil Uncle Dougy." Calla smiled, sitting on the arm of the couch. He nodded at her.

"Kid." He greeted.

"Guys, this is our Uncle Douglas." Chase introduced him to us. "Well, technically, he's our father."

" _Told you."_ Ollie teased.

"Yeah, as if we'd ever call him that." Bree scoffed.

"Wait, you're the guy who tried to kill them." Kaz accused. Douglas nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"You too, Oliver." Douglas shook his hand. "Though, you're not nearly as scrawny as Chase said you were."

"That's because I'm Oliver." Ollie raised his hand. Douglas observed him for a moment, then nodded.

"Makes more sense." He agreed. Ollie looked down at his ribs, a little embarrassed.

"Hi. I'm Dani. You're the guy who created the evil robot, right?" I asked.

"Yes, Marcus. Though technically he was an android." He shook my hand. "Why?"

"Just curious." I replied with a shrug.

"I'm Skylar." Skylar reached forward to shake his hand next. He shook it, then paused.

"Ah, the alien girl." He nodded. "I have to admit, I'm kinda disappointed. I was expecting you to have three heads or something."

"Don't be silly." Skylar rolled her eyes. "You shed the other two when you're a kid, and leave money under your pillow for the head fairy."

We all stared at her for that. "But what do you do with the heads?" I asked, confused.

"You don't want to know." Skylar assured me.

"Oh, good news. Skylar just got her powers back." Chase announced. Douglas looked at her, surprised, but pleased with the news.

"And guess who got them back for her." Kaz sang, smirking at my brother.

"Okay, it was me." Chase bragged.

"Okay, a little Elite Force gossip." Bree told Douglas. "Scrawny is jelly because Bookworm got Alien her powers back."

"Okay, aliens I can believe, but someone jealous of Chase?" Douglas shook his head. "Unfathomable."

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Calla inquired, sitting down on the couch next to Jaden. "Not that I'm complaining. It's Dani's turn to cook, and she refuses to make anything but rabbit food."

"Just because it doesn't have meat in it, doesn't mean it's rabbit food." I told her.

"That is a matter of opinion." The older girl retorted, shaking her head at me.

"Well, I'll be staying here with you while my brother's gone." Douglas replied. "And Jaden tagged along because of Bree."

"I'm going back after the weekend, though." Jaden added. He kissed Bree on the cheek. "Sorry, gorgeous."

"Wait, Davenport's gone?' I asked. "Huh, forgot he was here in the first place."

"Where is Mr. Davenport, anyway?" Skylar questioned. "Not that I'm concerned or anything. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we could use a break."

"He wanted to be with Tasha when the baby comes. He'll be checking in, but only occasionally." Douglas explained.

"Have they settled on a name yet?" Bree asked hopefully.

"Nah. In fact, they're letting the Academy decide. There's a giant voting box. It's either going to be Maya, Kira, or Naomi. Personally, I like Maya, but who knows which will win."

"Ten bucks says he jams a bionic chip into her neck before she's even named." Calla whispered to her brother.

"You're on." He agreed, bumping fists with her. Douglas smirked.

"Anyway, my first order of business while I'm here is to design the team's new mission suits." He continued.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Calla stood up. "No you're not. I'm designing them – I've already started, in fact."

"Please, I think that we can all agree that the guy who created them," he gestured to Chase and Bree, "is much more capable of creating mission suits."

"Yes, but Calla's been designing our mission suits for years." Chase pointed out, taking his girlfriend's side.

"Ad you all looked like badly-dressed acrobats for a year." Douglas retorted.

"I was, like, fourteen! Cut me some slack." Calla rolled her eyes.

"I'd like to design my own superhero costume." I commented.

"No one cares, Sparky." Calla told me. "This is between me and him."

"Well, I choose Douglas' side." Ollie commented.

"Me too." I agreed, smirking.

"Well, then we're kidnapping Kaz." Calla declared, grabbing my boyfriend by the arm. Kaz looked up in surprise.

"You are?" He asked. She nodded, a fierce look on her face.

"We are." She declared. He shrugged.

"Okay." He looked at Douglas. "Might as well have costumes made by someone who doesn't look like a hipster porcupine."

"Okay, I see how it is." Douglas nodded, looking at us. "I guess Oliver, Dani, and I will work on my version of the suit while you three spin your wheels making something we'll never use."

"That's right, you will!" Kaz grinned, not really understanding what Douglas meant. I laughed, amused.

"Yeah, you will." I agreed, shaking my head. Kaz nodded again, then frowned and looked at Calla and Chase.

"Wait, what are we willing?" He questioned. Calla rolled her eyes and looked at Chase. He smirked.

"We are going to make the post powerful, intimidating, take-no-prisoners mission suits ever!" He declared. He looked directly at Kaz. "It's dress-up time, and you just became my doll."

"Well, this should end well." Skylar murmured to Bree and Jaden, who were watching the exchange in amusement.

** Calla's POV **

"What are you doing?" I looked up from my designs to see Chase looking at Kaz. I was putting the finishing touches on the designs while Chase got Kaz' measurements for the suit.

"I want you to make my mission suit breathable." Kaz explained with a grin. "I'm a wiggler."

"Well, stand still. These measurements have to be exact." Chase told him sternly, pulling another pin out of his pincushion.

"Ow!" Kaz exclaimed, flinching as Chase tried to put another pin in the bland clothing Kaz was wearing. "Careful; those pins are sharp."

"Would you relax? I know what I'm doing." Chase insisted. A moment later, I heard another yelp.

"Ouch!" Kaz leapt off the stool he'd been standing on. Chase laughed.

"That one was all me." He admitted, chuckling. I giggled lightly, watching the two.

"Stay away from me." Kaz told him, backing up. He started to run. "Stay away from me!"

"Kaz, come back!" I called, but he continued running, straight onto the veranda. Chase chuckled, sitting down on the couch next to me. I smiled, though a little confused. "You're in a really good mood today."

"Am I?" He feigned innocence as he took my hand. I nodded, still smiling.

"Yeah. What gives?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Nothing. Just having a nice day." He replied. He got up and kissed me on the forehead. "I'm going to go find Kaz."

** Jaden's POV **

"So, you guys really managed to stop Calla from making dinner? Nice." I was talking to Skylar, the only other person around, while Bree took some phone call in the hall. "You know she made my birthday cake every year until I was fourteen."

"Poor you." Skylar sympathized. I nodded.

"And my Mom made me pretend to like it, especially when she was little." I added. You know, for an alien, Skylar was actually a pretty cool girl. Go figure. She went to make a comment, when there was a sudden shriek from the hall and Bree raced in, looking like Christmas had come early, and all the gifts were for her. "Good news, I guess?"

"I just got a call from the head of the biggest shoe company in the world," she spoke so fast the words almost seemed to tumble over each other, "and you're never going to believe what they just offered me!"

"Free shoes?" I guessed.

"Ooh. I wonder if they have anything for girls with fourteen toes…" Skylar thought aloud. Bree and I both stared at her.

"You really have fourteen toes?" Bree questioned. Skylar nodded.

"Duh. I AM an alien." She pointed at her feet. "Eight on this foot and six on the other."

"Alrighty then…" I looked back at my girlfriend. "Continue."

"They're giving me my own sneaker line." Bree grinned. "They're called Breezers."

"Congratulations, beautiful!" I smiled, proud of her. She really deserved this.

"I don't get it." Skylar frowned.

"Well, my name is Bree, and they just added a 'zers' at the end." Bree explained.

"No, I get the bad pun." The alien girl assured her. "I mean, why are they giving you your own shoe?"

"Because of my super speed." Bree replied. "They're going to put me in ads, commercials, billboards…when you see Bree, you'll think feet."

Well, not exactly what I would be thinking, but still, good for her.

"So, you're actually going to do it?" Skylar questioned, sounding skeptical. I frowned, confused why she didn't appear to be happy for Bree. "I didn't think heroes did stuff like that."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Sell out." She replied. Bree looked at her, offended.

"I'm not selling out!" She snapped. "It's just nice to be recognized for my unique ability."

"Well, I have super speed too, but I never needed credit for it." Skylar shrugged and got off the couch. "I guess the gift of saving people has always been enough for me. But if this is something you need, you go girl."

I sighed as I watched my calm, relaxing weekend with Bree fly out the window with those words. "I don't need it." Bree insisted defensively.

"O-kay." Skylar replied, obviously not believing her.

"I don't." Bree insisted.

"Fine. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree." Skylar reasoned.

"I guess we will." Bree agreed, peeved.

"Okay then." Skylar started to walk away, but not without adding, "Sally Sellout."

"Molly Martian-claw." Bree muttered, just loud enough for Skylar to hear. The alien walked away, choosing not to engage her any longer, as my girlfriend sat down next to me. I pulled her legs onto my lap.

"I'm not a sellout." She told me.

"I know." I agreed.

"I'm not." She insisted.

"And I believe you." I assured her. I sighed – thanks to Skylar, it would probably be like this all weekend.

** Dani's POV **

"Okay, kids, let's start designing this suit." Douglas announced as we walked into Mission Command.

"Cool, so I was thinking-" Ollie began, but Douglas cut him off with a chuckle.

"That's cute. You think you're actually going to be designing it." He laughed.

"What? We've been dreaming about having my own superhero suit since we were little kids." I told him. "Now that we finally have powers, this is our chance."

Douglas sighed. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"

"Laser Rockets." I grinned.

"Yeah…no. Oliver?" He looked at my brother. "Do you have anything better?"

"You ready for this?" Ollie grinned. "Elbow swords!"

"No. Guys, Calla's the only one who might need gadgets in her suit, because she doesn't have super powers." Douglas told us sternly. "All you guys need are simple, functional suits."

Suddenly, the hyperlift activated. We looked towards the entrance to see Kaz, Calla, and Chase appear on our floor. Kaz was wearing some pretty heavy duty gear over his suit. "Guys! Check it out! Calla and Chase tricked out my suit with smoke jets."

"Why?" Douglas asked the obvious question.

"For dramatic…" Kaz trailed off. Calla pressed a button on his suit and the smoke jets activated, surrounding Kaz in a thick cloud of smoke. When the smoke evaporated, he was nowhere to be found.

"Exits!" Chase finished his sentence for him, grinning happily.

"That was so awesome!" I exclaimed grinning.

"No, it wasn't." Douglas snapped.

"Who's side are you on?" Ollie questioned. I snapped my fingers at him.

"Right." I nodded before turning back to Calla and Chase. "That was not awesome."

"Oh, don't worry guys. There's nothing wrong with finishing second." Calla assured us, looping her arm around Chase's.

"We, uh, don't have any smoke jets, so we're just gonna leave." Chase told us, leading Calla out. Once they were gone, Douglas looked at us.

"So laser rockets and elbow swords, huh?" He hummed thoughtfully.

** Jaden's POV **

"I can't believe you're getting your own commercial." I shook my head in amazement. We were at the park, where the producer, Tony McClain, was prepping to set my girl's first commercial. "Bree, this is amazing."

"Well, I'm glad someone thinks so." She grumbled.

"Hey, chin up. Your sneakers are really cute." They weren't really – the basic design was okay, but would probably fall apart after a couple of months, and the color scheme was too bold, with very noticeable pink and purple streaks across the sides – but Bree loved them, so I figured she'd appreciate the comment.

"Skylar?" Bree responded, looking past me. I turned to see Skylar walking up to us, a determined look on the alien's face. Bree smiled widely when she saw her friend. "I can't believe you came to support my commercial!"

"I didn't." Skylar replied, disappointing her. "I came here to talk you out of it."

"Not going to work." Bree told her. "Now, step aside so everyone can see my Breezers!"

"Those are the ugliest shoes I've ever seen." Skylar commented, looking at them.

"Skylar!" I snapped defensively.

"No, she's right." Bree told me. "But they're mine!"

"Hey, there's Tony." I told her. The producer with the charming smile, the one he kept giving my girlfriend, came over to us.

"There's our Bree." He smiled at her. "Ready to shoot your first commercial."

"I sure am." Bree assured him, with a pointed look at Skylar.

"Great." He nodded. "Let's get you into hair and make-up."

Bree frowned at him, looking self-conscious. "I already went."

"Oh." Tony blanched, realizing his mistake. Then, he put that fake smile back on his face. "Isn't this exciting? All these people are here just to watch you run!" Bree grinned. "And when they do, those shoes are going to fly right off the shelves."

"And right into the trash." Skylar commented. Tony noticed her for the first time.

"Excuse me, miss. We're about to start shooting, so fans need to be on that side of the camera." He told her, pointing towards a large group of people. "You, too, man."

"Oh, I'm not a fan." Skylar told him. Bree sent her a glare.

"Then are you the hair and make-up lady?" He glanced at Bree, then back at Skylar. "Because, if so, we need to talk."

** Calla's POV **

"Did you see their faces when your smoke jets went off?" I grinned proudly, sitting on top of the kitchen island.

"Actually, I haven't really seen anything since my smoke jets went off." Kaz admitted, rubbing his eyes, then continuing to stare at a random spot on the wall. I waved my hand in front of his face to test if he was telling the truth, but he didn't react in the slightest.

"Dude, let's focus on what's important." Chase told him. "Beating Douglas. We already won the battle, now we just have to win the war."

"You know, I never truly appreciated how overdramatic you can be until this moment." I said thoughtfully. Chase smirked. "Anyway, we're going to have to give Kaz something more to defeat them."

"Laser-guided ankle rockets!" Chase proclaimed dramatically. Kaz sighed.

"I was really hoping you were going to say soothing eyedrops." He confided in us. I patted his shoulder.

"You can have some of those too." I assured him.

** Jaden's POV **

"You know, you could be a little nicer to Bree." I mentioned to Skylar. "She's really proud of this."

"If she's proud of being a sellout, good for her." Skylar retorted, arms crossed as we watched Bree prepare for her commercial.

"Okay, here's the plan." I could hear Tony say to her, "Take a quick 20-mile run around the city, then land back here on your mark. And most importantly, don't forget to show us how much you love your Breezers."

"Yeah, got it." Bree nodded enthusiastically. Tony walked over to stand besides the camera, a few feet away from us.

"Alright people! Let's do this." He announced. He paused for a moment to let Bree ready herself, then "…And action!"

"Time to take my Breezers for a 20-mile run." Bree smiled at the camera, a natural talent for acting taking over. "Ready, set…" She disappeared for a brief moment as she sped off to zip around the city, then reappeared, this time holding an umbrella, "And I'm back!" She announced. "Oh, and by the way, it's raining on the other side of town, which isn't a problem, thanks to the great traction on my Breezers."

"Whoo!" I shouted as the crowd burst into applause. Bree bowed a few times, grinning widely. "Thank you, thank you!"

"That was fantastic. They love you! You're going to sell a ton of these things." Tony grinned, rolling his hand to signal for her to do more. "Keep going, keep going."

"No problem." Bree nodded, thinking fast. "I-I'll do it again, but this time, backwards."

The crowd began to applaud harder and cheer louder. She grinned, then turned around and sped backwards. Suddenly, she stumbled, falling into the air as she tripped over a large rock.

"Look out!" Skylar shouted, speeding forward at a speed that would make Bree jealous. She grabbed a baby carriage that was in Bree's way, and sped it to safety, a mere second before my girlfriend came crashing to the ground.

"Babe." I rushed over to her, helping her up. I winced when I saw her hands, scraped and bleeding. "Ouch."

"It's fine." She winced, rubbing them on her pants.

"We should wash those off." I told her as Tony ran over to us.

"What just happened?" He demanded, shocked.

"I don't know." Bree admitted. "I was running backwards, and must have tripped."

"Not you, the other girl." He pushed past us to approach Skylar. "She came out of nowhere and she saved that baby. She's a hero."

"No, no, no, no." Skylar shook her head quickly as people began to clap. "Applause isn't necessary. It's just what I do."

The crowd began to cheer as well. "Aw, and she's so humble." Tony cooed. He looked between her and Bree. "I had no idea that there were two bionic girls in Centium City."

"Of course I'm bionic." Skylar lied. "How else could I have done that super awesome, amazing thing I just did?"

"Okay, yay. You saved a baby." Bree rolled her eyes. "Everyone's over it. Back to me and my Breezers."

"What's your name?" Tony asked Skylar, ignoring Bree.

"Skylar." She answered, a little hesitantly. Tony nodded.

"Well, Skylar, you just made Cocky McBackwards here look like an amateur." Tony told her. Bree gasped, offended. "You should be in a commercial."

"Me?" "Her?" Skylar and Bree demanded at the same time.

"What do you say?" Tony smirked charmingly at her. "Wanna do it?"

"Absolutely." Skylar replied after barely a moment's thought.

"What?" "Dude!" Bree and I snapped at her. Tony grinned.

"Great. Bring on the Skylar-ers…" He frowned. "We'll work on that."

He gestured for his workers to change the commercial set, and to take down the giant poster of Bree that was hanging from a lamppost. Bree watched, dismayed, as the poster was trashed.

"Skylar, what are you doing?" She demanded, spinning around to face the girl. "This was my commercial! How could you show me up like that?"

"I wasn't trying to." The alien girl defended herself. "You're the one knocking over babies."

"I wasn't knocking over babies, I was barreling into a baby; there's a difference." Bree corrected her. "I cannot believe you, Skylar. You are such a hypocrite!"

"No, I'm not! I was just…I mean…I was…" Skylar shook her head in frustration. "You know what? You're right. It's just, my whole life, I've had to keep my powers a secret, but now that I can say I'm bionic, I can actually get credit."

"Which is exactly what you called Bree out for doing." I pointed out. Bree nodded in agreement.

"You called me a sellout." She insisted.

"Yeah, but now I get it. It is nice to be noticed." She admitted before sighing. "But it's not fair to steal your spotlight. The commercial's all yours."

"Thank you." Bree nodded at her, grateful that Skylar was doing the right thing. Tony walked over while we were talking, carrying a piece of paper.

"Alright, Skylar, here's your contract." He announced. He smiled when she turned to him. "And I see you've already been to makeup."

"Actually, I haven't." Skylar replied. Tony looked pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, a natural beauty. How refreshing." He tried to hand her the paper, but she shook her head.

"No, I haven't been there because I decided not to do the commercial." She announced.

"Huh." He frowned thoughtfully. "That is a disappointment. Oh well. Good news, Bree: you're awesome again." He looked past her, at one of his workers. "Get a new poster up ASAP!"

"Thank you." Bree smiled. "I think it's only right you use the fastest girl in the world."

"Excuse me?" Skylar looked at her, bemused. "You think you're faster than me."

"No, I know I'm faster than you." Bree corrected. I sighed. Here we go.

"Uh, no, you're not." Skylar informed her.

"Uh, yes, I am." Bree argued. Soon, they began shouting at each other. I shook my head, exasperated.

"This is why you don't date the competitive ones." Tony advised me. I chuckled, amused.

"YO!" I shouted, making them both stop. They looked at me. "Chill."

"You know what, though? I agree with Bree." Tony intervened. "The fastest girl in the world should be the face of these shoes."

"Thank you." Bree smirked.

"Which is why we're going to have a race." Tony continued.

"Wait, what?" Bree stared at him. Tony nodded.

"And whoever wins will get the commercial, and be known as the fastest girl in the world." He declared.

"I'm in." Skylar decided before Bree could argue. My girlfriend hesitated, then a look of determination came over her.

"Let's do it." She agreed. Tony nodded.

"Great!" He clapped his hands together before walking off to set things up.

"You know, I love this." Skylar crossed her arms. "After I win, the only thing you'll be known for is losing to me."

"Oh yeah?" Bree challenged. "Well, after I win, the only thing you'll be known for is rescuing a baby…which is nice, but it's no sneaker ad."

"One weekend." I muttered to myself. "One weekend for just us. Is that too much to ask?"

** Dani's POV **

"Awesome." I grinned as Douglas finished adjusting the straps on the newest gadget we'd designed for the suit. "Really, really, awesome."

"Congratulations, Oliver." Douglas announced, stepping back. "You now have elbow swords."

He raised his arms, revealing the heavy-looking devices attached to the back of them. Two small swords slid out of either end, sticking out. "This is so cool!" My brother laughed merrily. "Now I can fight off enemies and make sushi at the same time!"

"Ollie!" I scolded.

"I mean chop carrots. I can fight enemies and chop carrots at the same time." He corrected himself, but I was no longer listening, as Kaz had just texted me.

"Oh, come on!" I complained, reading the text. I looked at Douglas and Ollie. "Kaz says that they added laser-guided ankle rockets. I wanted those!"

"That's the stupidest idea I have ever heard." Douglas told me swiftly. "But I'm not going to lie, it kinda scares me."

"We can't lose to Calla and Chase." Ollie commented. Douglas nodded.

"Damn straight. Chase would brag about it for the next three months, and Calla would bring it up for years every time she needed to one up me." He agreed. "But we're not going to lose to them, because we are about to up our game."

"How?" I asked, frowning.

"I need to change the mechanics of the suit." Douglas decided. He looked at us. "Are either of you double-jointed?"

"No…" I replied for both of us.

"Would you like to be?" He questioned.

** Calla's POV **

"Oliver, Dee, and Douglas just added toe cannons to their suit." Kaz announced, looking at his phone.

"That's genius. We can't compete with that." Chase frowned. I smirked.

"Oh yeah?" I questioned. "Hey Kaz, what do you say about propulsion trip wire?"

"I have no idea what that is, but I love it." He grinned.

** Dani's POV **

"Electrified net shooter!" Ollie suggested, grinning.

** Calla's POV **

"Retractable bazooka." I told Chase with a smile.

** Dani's POV **

"What about chainsaw gloves?" Ollie inquired.

** Calla's POV **

"Acid-blasting toxic darts." Chase decided, already pulling out a set of darts from a box.

** Dani's POV **

"Heat-seeking wrist boomerangs." I offered, smirking.

** Calla's POV **

"Strategically-placed thermonuclear projectile buttons!" Chase exclaimed.

** Dani's POV **

"Wait, I got it." Ollie grinned widely. "Venomous snake launcher."

"Oh, Oliver." Douglas looked at him, disappointed. "It's been done."

** Jaden's POV **

"Okay, is everyone ready to see who's the fastest girl in the world?" Tony declared, grinning at the crowd.

"Do you guys really need to do this? I mean, can't you just agree that you're the two fastest, so we can go home?" I practically begged them. I had this bad feeling that no matter who won, one would be parading around the penthouse, bragging about it, while the other would glower and glare for who-knows-how-long.

"No." "Butt out, Jaden!" They retorted. I backed off. Fine, if they wanted to get even deeper into this fight of theirs, fine.

"Alright, when I say go, you guys will take a super-speed loop around the city and end up back here at the finish line."

"Look on the bright side, Bree." Skylar shrugged as she crouched low, her hands out in front of her. "At least when I beat you, you'll have super strength and energy blasts to fall back on. Oh, wait…that's me."

"Yeah, well at least when I walk barefoot, I don't make children cry." Bree grumbled. Skylar gasped, shocked that Bree would go that low.

"Okay, ladies. On your marks…get set…go!" Both girls disappeared for a moment, only to reappear a moment later, sweaty and out of breath. "And they're back."

"Yes, and I won." Bree declared.

"No way, I won!" Skylar argued.

"It's alright. We can just look back on the tape." Tony assured them. Both girls froze.

"Tape? What tape?" Skylar questioned, confused.

"Did you know they were filming this?" Bree hissed to me.

"No, I didn't. Why? What's the big deal?" I asked. She hesitated. "Bree, what did you do?"

"What makes you think that I did something?" She retorted. I opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off. "Actually, don't answer that."

"I set up high-tech cameras at different spots around the park." Tony explained, leading us over to a very large monitor. Most of the crowd followed, wanting to see who won. "We can slow you down the footage down to one-ten-thousandths of a second, so we can see who the winner is."

He pressed the play button on the remote, and the screen zoomed in on Bree and Skylar, who were poised at the starting line. They began to run, at what looked like a normal speed, while everything else around them moved in slow motion. They raced past a group of football players, both girls keeping pace with each other. That is, until Bree pushed Skylar into a nearby trashcan. Skylar recovered quickly and raced after her, quickly meeting her pace once more. But as they passed by a streetlamp, the alien lashed out, shoving Bree into it so hard that it left a massive dent in it. The girls raced on, past some food stands, where Bree stole a piece of bubblegum right out a boy's hands, before he could chew it. They both reached the finish line at approximately the same time, though Bree was half a step in front of Skylar, making her the winner.

"Yay, I win." Bree said lightly, looking around in embarrassment. Both girls looked ashamed to be caught cheating like that, though no one in the crowd cared how they felt about it. The crowd dispersed, not even returning when Tony offered them free shoes.

"Great! Now I can't even give these things away." He muttered before giving the girls the stinky eye. "I don't want either of you as my spokesperson. Nobody likes a cheater, at least not one who's been caught."

He stormed off, furious. "Well, that went well." I drawled sarcastically. Bree gave me a look, then turned to Skylar.

"Skylar, look." She sighed. "I owe you a really big apology. I was so afraid of losing to you that I lost control of myself."

"Hey, I'm just as guilty." Skylar reminded her gently. "We both cheated."

"I guess when I saw you save that baby, I just freaked out." Bree shrugged. "Super speed has always been my thing."

"I get it." Skylar put her hand on my girlfriend's shoulder. "But for the record, there's a lot more to you than just super speed."

"I can attest to that." I agreed. Bree blushed lightly.

"Thanks." She told both of us before giving Skylar and apologetic smile. "And I'm sorry I said mean things about your alien feet."

"That's okay. I know you were just jealous." Skylar brushed it off. Bree raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah, sure." She agreed to appease her friend.

** Dani's POV **

"Wait until you see Ollie's suit." I teased, pacing around Calla and Chase. "It's fully loaded."

"We're just going to let our suit do the talking." Calla assured us.

"Which, by the way, it does." Chase added. Douglas rolled his eyes.

"It's time for the big reveal." He decided. He tapped on the wall that hid the hyperlift. "You ready, Oliver?"

"Ready!" My brother called, his voice muffled by the wall.

"Let's do it, Kaz!" Chase called. There was no response. "Kaz!"

"Are you talking to me?" My boyfriend called from the veranda. "My ears are still ringing from that last missile test."

"Ha!" Douglas laughed pointedly. "MISS!"

The wall behind us slid open, revealing Ollie, wearing a very high-tech exoskeleton. Kaz stumbled in from outside, hardly able to move his limbs because his suit, just as teched-out as Ollie's. He could barely walk, and that much was obvious. "Help." He requested, and Calla and Chase both went to help him get to the center of the room.

"Go ahead, Oliver. Show 'em what you got." Douglas encouraged my brother.

"Prepare to be wowed by my heat-seeking wrist boomerangs!" He exclaimed. He raised his hand, but instead of shooting a boomerang out, it must have shot inwards, judging by his winces and the smoke rising from he suit. "Ow, ow, ow."

"Crap." Calla muttered as Kaz stumbled and fell face-first onto the ground.

"You okay?" I asked gently.

"Fantastic." He replied, heavily sarcastic.

"Okay, who here thinks we took this too far?" Calla asked. All of us, except for Kaz, raised our hands. "Kaz?"

"Oh, I agree. I just can't move." He assured us.

"Yeah, maybe these things are a little impractical for missions." Douglas admitted. Calla looked at him. "Okay, way impractical. Back to the drawing board."

"Hey, I have a crazy idea. Why not just work together?' I questioned. Why they didn't do this in the first place was beyond me, but I had figured it would be more fun to have a competition. Apparently, judging by the looks of the boys, not as much fun as I originally believed. "Seriously, I bet that if we put our heads together, we could come up with a good idea, and in half the time it took for these."

"I'd be willing to give it a shot." Chase mentioned. Calla sighed.

"Yeah, me too." She agreed. Douglas nodded.

"Alright. Let's do it." He decided. I grinned. "But no laser rockets."

"Then I'm out." I declared.

** Xxx **

"We did it!" Several hours later, Douglas, Calla, and Chase emerged from Mission Command. "We've created the team's new mission suits, and they're better than we could've ever imagined."

"Oh yeah?" Jaden raised an eyebrow. "Let's see."

** Xxx **

And they weren't kidding. These suits were amazing, from their black and sleek dark blue color scheme of the leather, to the individual designs to the Elite Force symbol we all wore at the front of our waistlines.

Chase's suit was more black than blue, with heavy padding along his abdomen and upper chest. The rest of the long sleeved jacket was sleek blue,, even the collar that stuck up under the padding. His pants were mostly black, with the exception of one leg that had three blue horizontal lines running along the upper part of the leg. Meanwhile, his boots and gloves matched, both of them as black as the rest of his uniform

Calla's pants were almost completely black, with the exception of two blue stripes on the outside of each of her thighs. Her top, on the other hand, was mostly blue, with the exception of black stripes that covered both of her sides, and her sleeves. Even the hood she'd insisted on including in her uniform was pitch black. Her gloves, longer than the rest of ours to accommodate for any technological additions she might want to include, and her knee-high high heel boots were both blue. Also unlike the rest of us girls, Calla work a black belt with the Elite Force symbol on it, along with a holster for her Plasma Gun.

Skylar's uniform – a stylish one-piece suit - was mostly blue, with the exception of the thick black rim around the zipper that went from the Elite Force symbol that rested on her waistline all the way up, and the thick black stripe that rounded her waist like a belt. Her gloves – cute one that rose to just past her wrist – were mostly black, as were her knee-high heeled boots, though they both had blue accents.

Ollie's uniform had to the sleekest of them all, the black, striped padding around his abdomen gleaming in the light. His uniform pants were half black and half blue, with blue lines running down the sides. His jacket was similar to Chase's – it was padded for extra protection and had a blue collar – though there was a thick blue line on either side, designed as if outlining a trapezoid-like shape that went from his armpits to the bottom of his rib cage. He had black boots and gloves too, though they were decorated with extra blue lines for aesthetics.

Bree's was the simplest of all the designs, by far. Her uniform was a one piece, like Skylar's, and was all blue, except for the two thick, half-foot long black lines that went from her feet all the way up to her armpits, and then back down her arms. She had knee-high, high-heel boots as well, all black just like her gloves.

Kaz's costume was also fairly simple – a pair of solid black pants, and a blue jacket with a line of padding on either side of zipper, as well as on top of his shoulders. He had fairly short gloves – made out of flame retardant material – and black boots with blue straps.

As for me, I think I had the coolest costume of all. The front and back of the uniform were blue, while the sides were black. My boots, knee-high but without the heels (because seriously, who can fight in heels?), were black, but my gloves, a pair that went just past my wrists, were blue.

"Yeah." Jaden nodded, smirking at us. "I think you guys can pull this off."

** Calla's POV **

"This is ridiculous." I couldn't help but giggle in amusement. Chase had not just refused to tell me where he was taking me for dinner, but he had also insisted on blindfolding me, then using the Geoleap watch to bring us to the mysterious occasion. I heard him chuckle as he led me along. "Seriously, where are we going?"

"Chill, we're here." He assured me.

"So I can take this blindfold off?" I questioned, reaching up to remove it, but Chase caught my hand before I could.

"One second." He promised me before releasing my hand. I crossed my arms as I heard his footsteps depart.

"Seriously? What's with the theatrics?" I questioned, just as a thick scent hit my nose. "Is that steak?"

Chase chuckled merrily. "Figures the food would be the first thing you notice." I heard him mutter. He cleared his throat. "Alright, you can to take off your blindfold."

Smiling, I removed the blindfold. I looked around, shocked. We were standing in the lab, our lab, the one back in Mission Creek. The floor was littered with flower petals – Calla Lily petals, I noticed with a smile – and off to the side, a table for two had been set up with candles and a steak dinner. I smiled, then looked at him. "Your idea of romantic is dinner in your parents' basement?" I teased him.

"Hey, don't knock this place. It's where we first met…where we first kissed…where we first…" He smirked at me suggestively. I laughed.

"That was sweet. Cheesy and sweet." I frowned, my mind racing. It was neither of our birthdays, nor was it Christmas, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve. Hell, the thing I could think of was the 191st anniversary of the creation of Menai Suspension Bridge, but as far as I knew, the only person in the world who would ever celebrate that was Dani, Oliver, and Kaz's former boss at Mighty Med. "But, seriously Chase. I love this, I really do, but what's the occasion?"

He chuckled, rubbing his chin a bit. "This is our place." He continued to be sentimental about the lab. "I mean, it's ours. It where we'd sneak off to when we needed a break from the others. It's where we grew together, where we invented and destroyed, and fought and made up. It's…where we fell in love." He looked at me. "Which is why I wanted to come here to ask you."

"Ask me?" You know that feeling when you have no idea what's about to happen, but at the same time, a deeper part of you is already five steps ahead and knows everything? Yeah, I had that feeling. I raised one hand to my mouth as Chase dropped onto one knee, his hand fishing in his pocket. "Oh."

"Calla Alexandria Parker, you are the brilliant, beautiful woman that I want to spend the rest of my life with." He told me, pulling out a black velvet box. He opened it up to reveal a beautiful, white gold ring with three glittering diamonds on it, the first shaped like a diamond, with two smaller, circular ones pressed up against it so that it almost formed the shape of a tiny maple leaf. "Will you marry me?"

I wasn't the type to get emotional often, but I could feel the tears of prickle in my eyes. I nodded, clasping my hands together. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes." Before I knew what I was doing, I had dropped to my knees, my lips crashing into Chase's.


	6. Follow the Leader

** Chase's POV **

I hummed pleasantly to myself as I headed down into Mission Command. Calla was still sleeping – she hated getting up anytime in the AM – so I thought I'd go get some work down on the superhero list she, Kaz, Oliver, and Dani were compiling. I figured I could get a bit done before they got down here, as a nice surprise.

But the moment I stepped out of the hyperlift, I was surprised to see that the entire room was littered in beach junk and dirty clothing. "What the…?" I questioned, confused.

"AH! Intruder!" I barely had the chance to process Perry's presence before she was using Calla's prototype ParaBlaster (pretty much a mix between the Plasma Gun and the Paragun) to fire on me. I flipped into the air, narrowly avoiding the blast that would have nailed me in the chest, before landing on my feet and turning to glare at her.

"Perry!" I exclaimed, staring at the cat-pajamas-clad woman.

"Chaz?" She stared at me, confused. I sighed.

"It's Chase." I corrected her. She nodded, shrugging.

"I know." She admitted. "I just like the name 'Chaz' better."

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"Oh, I decided to take a little vacay from the academy." She explained, gesturing at all the beach stuff. "Dooley's been getting on my nerves a little too much."

"So, you left a tropical island to vacation in the windowless underbelly of a skyscraper?" I questioned skeptically.

"Yep. I have to get my skin back to its natural state: pale and clammy." She explained. "Plus, I'm from here."

"You were born in Centium City?" I asked, surprised, as I stepped over her inflatable pool on my way to the cyber desk.

"Nope, under, in a network of tunnels underneath the ground." She clarified. I nodded, then tried to reach for the weapon.

"Anyway, would you give me Calla's weapon?" I questioned. She pulled away, not letting me take it.

"Sorry, but when you're born in the bowels of a city, you learn to watch your back." She replied. "And you also learn that not everything that looks like meat is meat."

Before I could respond to that, the lights flashed red and a quick alarm went off.  _"I hate to interrupt, however, my police scanners have alerted me to a situation at the Centium City Arch."_ MISS announced

"I'm on my way, MISS." I told the AI. I raced to the hyperlift, but the doors refused to open. "Damn it, Perry. Your blast broke the hyperlift."

"You're the one that ducked out of the way." Perry retorted. Just then, the alarm went off again. "Ah!" Perry cried, surprised, before shooting at the cyberdesk.

"No!" I cursed, rushing to it. It started smoking. "Stop shooting things! MISS! Can you manually control the hyperlift?" Silence. "MISS."

I sighed, realizing what had happened. "Wonderful." I commented sarcastically. "Your blast put us on lockdown and took our mission command's entire central nervous system, along with MISS. We're trapped."

Perry shrugged, then aimed the weapon at the lights and shot again. The lights shattered, leaving us in almost complete darkness, with the exception of the faint lights coming from the cyberdesk and consols. "What did you do that for?" I demanded.

"Well, if we're going to be stuck down here, I don't want to have to look at your face." She retorted

** Bree's POV **

"Kaz'll be right down." Oliver announced, walking down the stairs. Most of the team had already gathered in the living room, ready for our first mission as a team.

"Where's Chase?" I asked, turning to look at Calla. She shrugged, frowning.

"No idea. It's weird." She admitted. "He's usually the first one ready for missions. Let me call him."

She pulled out her phone, hit the speed dial, and then held it up for everyone to hear. Instead of ringing, it went straight to voicemail.  _"Greetings. You've reached Chase, the smartest man in the world. I'm not here, but if you'd like to leave a message for Chase, the smartest man in the world, do it at the beep. And if you didn't know that already, then you are definitely not the smartest man in the world."_

"Well, at least he shortened it." Calla reasoned before speaking into the phone. "Where are you? Call me."

"What are we going to do?" Oliver questioned. "We can't go on our first mission without our leader."

"We can't exactly wait though." Skylar reasoned. "We have to get the Centium City arch."

"She's right." Calla nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "The glass floor on the observation deck is cracking and tourists are trapped. We can't waste any time waiting for him."

"Let's go." Skylar decided. Oliver, Dani, and Calla followed her out. I, on the other hand, paused by the door.

"Kaz! C'mon!" I shouted impatiently. He walked down the stairs, carrying a duffle bag in one hand, and his phone in the other hand.

He used his phone to play a guitar cord, then let out a small scream that sounded vaguely like "Elite Force!"

"What was that?" I questioned, shaking my head.

"It's our first mission. When we show up, people need to know we're there." He explained.

"Yeah, no." I told him, walking out the door.

** Chase's POV **

"Finally." I muttered to myself as Perry and I stepped out of the hyperlift. That thing took hour to fix. "Why'd you have to shoot the hyperlift a second time?"

"Why'd you duck a second time?" She retorted, just as the front door opened and the team filed in, clad in their mission uniforms and carrying equipment bags.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked as Calla walked towards me. She kissed me on the cheek, smiling in confusion.

"Where've you been? I tried calling you twice." She told me. "We just got back from our first mission."

"You guys went without me?" I questioned, hurt.

"We had to." Skylar reasoned. "Where were you?"

"Perry and I were stuck downstairs." I explained, gesturing to the older woman. Bree and Calla physically recoiled when they saw her, a surprised and dismayed look on both of their faces.

"What is she doing here?" Bree questioned. She paused. "Sorry, I didn't meant to say it like that. What is it doing here?"

"Chase, this must be your mom." Kaz assumed, smiling at Perry. "The resemblance is uncanny."

"She is not my mother." I retorted, looking at him in disgust.

"Please. If my kid came out looking like that, I'd have put the robot parts on the outside." Perry agreed.

"Well, I'm Oliver, this is my sister Dani, and this is Kaz." Oliver introduced the rest of them.

"Paul, Bonnie, Glenn. Got it." Perry decided. Kaz and the twins exchanged looks, but didn't argue.

"I'm Skylar," Skylar interjected. Perry looked at her in awe.

"I know who you are." She assured the alien. "Donny told me that the robots would be teaming with the superheroes. I can't believe I'm in the presence of a real heroine."

"Uh, hello?" Bree got Perry's attention. "You've never acted this impressed around me."

"That's because she's a comic book hero come to life, and you're a manmade dolly." Perry insulted her. Dani laughed lightly.

"Burn." She teased.

"Let's get back to the mission." I interrupted them, needing to know what kind of damage control had to be done. "How bad was it?"

"Actually, it was a total success." Oliver told me. I frowned.

"Really?" I looked at Calla, half-expecting her to dispute Oliver's response. But instead she nodded eagerly.

"It went far smoother than I thought it would." She agreed. "Skylar had a really great idea and stepped up as mission leader."

"Her?" I frowned. But I was mission leader.

"Yes, me." Skylar looked at me strangely. "Who'd you think it was going to be, Oliver? No offense." She added quickly, noting the look on the cryokinetic's face.

"Yeah, she had me use my fire ability to seal the cracks on the floor." Kaz explained.

"While I used my super strength to keep the floor stable." Oliver added.

"I flew around below the glass to catch anyone who fell, and Skylar and Bree rushed everyone to safety while Calla kept the crowd from panicking." Dani finished.

"And everyone made it out alive?" I confirmed.

"Well, one guy did twist his ankle." Bree reasoned.

"That's okay. I was able to walk it off." Oliver assured me.

"I thought you guys did great out there." Skylar told the rest of the team. "You should be proud."

"Thanks, but we should really be proud of you, mission leader." Kaz complimented her.

The others all congratulated Skylar on her success as mission leader before departing to clean up after the mission. "Yeah, they really needed you." Perry commented sarcastically.

** Skylar's POV **

"They've been at this for hours." Bree complained, shaking her head at Dani, Kaz, and Oliver. The three were busy staring at the large tower made up of plastic cups from the kitchen.

"Everyone is counting on you." Kaz was telling Dani, his hands on her shoulders. "If you can't do this, the entire tower can collapse."

"I got this." Dani nodded to herself. She stepped up the tower, eyes scanning the cups carefully, before she slowly, carefully, pulled one from the center of the tower. Surprisingly, the tower remained steady, unaffected by the removal of the cup. Dani fist-pumped the air, then turned to the boys, grinning. They all bumped fists. "Superheroes."

"Hey, has anyone seen the cu-nevermind." Calla stopped next to us, staring up at the tower. "Why? Just…why?"

"It's a new game we invented called Topple the Tower." Kaz explained. "You pull one item out, and try to put it back on top of the tower without knocking it over."

"Like Jenga, but with household objects." Oliver added.

"You know, I'm suddenly really glad that Mr. Davenport gave us plastic cups rather than glass ones." Bree commented to me. I smirked, agreeing with her.

"Any idea when you might be done?" Calla inquired, bemused.

"Minutes, days…we really have no idea." Dani supplied. Calla sighed, then glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, hey babe. If you wanted something to drink, you're either going to have to wait, or use a bowl."

"Actually, I'm looking for Kaz." Chase told her. He walked past us. "Hey, man, you ready to work on that fire stream power?"

"Actually, Skylar already helped me with that." Kaz replied. I smiled at Chase, nodding.

"What?!" Chase demanded, shocked. I looked at him, confused by his reaction. I figured he'd appreciate the help, seeing as he and Calla had been busy with planning the guest list for their wedding.

"Uh, Chase, could you flip out somewhere else?" Dani requested as she flew into the air and hovered near the top of the tower, the cup clutched in her hand. "Your frustration is often amusing, but it could knock our tower over."

"What do you think you're doing?" Chase turned on me. "First you act like mission leader, now you're training Kaz."

"The team needed some to lead, so I did." I explained, genuinely confused by his reaction. "Kaz asked me for help, so I helped."

"Kaz?" Chase turned around.

"Wait a tick." It was Kaz' turn to pull a cup from the stack. He cautiously removed one of the cups, then, when the tower didn't fall, turned around. "Okay, go ahead."

"Why did you ask Skylar for help training when you already asked me?"

"Well, she was a great mission leader, and I just figured she would be great at that too." Kaz reasoned. "I was right."

"Skylar, may I have a word?" Chase requested. He walked into the living room, not waiting for my response. I looked at Calla, wondering what was wrong with her crazy fiancé, but she simple shrugged. I stepped into the living room, where Chase was waiting.

"Look, I know you're new, to this team and to Earth, so I'm going to let this one slide." He told me, his tone dripping with annoyance. "But around here, I'm mission leader."

"I wasn't trying to step on your toes." I assured him.

"Well, you couldn't, because my toes would be way out ahead of you, leading!" He insisted. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, the team needed me." I told him. "And I'm sorry, but if they need me again, then I'm going to lead them again."

"Stick it to him, sister." Perry called, cheering me on. "About time someone showed these robots who's boss."

"You know what, Perry?" Chase spun around to glare at the short, red-haired woman. "You're the reason this whole thing happened. Now go pack your stuff and get out!"

"Chase!" I snapped, surprised.

"No, I mean it." The older boy stood his ground. Perry sighed.

"Alright, I'll go." Perry sighed, heading for the hyperlift. "I guess I can stay with the one friend that will never leave me: loneliness."

She sighed audibly, then took the hyperlift down to the basement. Feeling bad for her, I followed to try and help.

** Xxx **

"So, aren't you gonna help me pack your stuff?" I questioned, glancing up at Perry as I folded up one of her shirts.

"Nope." She replied from where she was lounging in a beach chair. "I've read all your comics. We have so much in common."

"We do?" I hummed questioningly. Perry nodded.

"We're both beautiful butt kickers, and we both have three bladders." She reasoned. I smiled in confusion.

"Why do you have three bladders?" I inquired.

"Technically, they're all part of the same one, but that's what you get when you use a half-off coupon for major surgery." She explained, much to my amusement.

"You're hilarious." I laughed, packing the shirt into a suitcase. "I don't get why Calla, Bree, and Chase don't like you."

"They don't?" She frowned, surprised.

"No. They say you're a horrible, evil, little troll." I elaborated.

"Oh, that makes sense." The confusion disappeared off Perry's face as she smiled.

** Chase's POV **

"Hey, have you guys seen the toaster?" Bree questioned, walking onto the veranda from the kitchen. Calla and I didn't answer verbally, instead pointing towards the top of Kaz, Dani, and Oliver's new tower, where the toaster was stuck between the microwave and a small DVD player.

"I'd tell you to wait for it, but it's probably gonna break when the tower falls, so you should just buy a new one." Kaz suggested.

"I need my own place." Bree muttered, shaking her head. I was about to reply when all our phones went off, the familiar sound of a mission alert blaring from the devices.

"Two missions in one day." Calla commented thoughtfully.

"Mission alert!" I called to the others, making sure they heard.

"We know!" Dani replied, literally flying upstairs to get changed. Kaz and Bree both followed. Calla grabbed my jacket off the coat rack, having not bothered to change out of her uniform earlier.

"MISS, what's the mission?" she questioned, checking her weapons to make sure they were charged completely.

" _It appears that a truck carrying toxic chemicals has overturned in the Rogers Tunnel."_  Coordinates appeared on my phone screen. _"An explosion was created, and 102 people are trapped inside. So far, no casualties have been reported."_

"Thank you, MISS." I told the AI.

"Where's Skylar?" Oliver questioned, zipping up his jacket.

"No idea." Calla commented, nodding to Dani and Kaz as they made their way down the stairs, now fully dressed in their uniforms. Bree sped past them, skidding to a stop near the couch.

"Without her, who's going to lead us?" Kaz asked.

"I am!" It should have been obvious, really.

"Really?" Dani cast Calla a sideways glance. "Is that a wise decision?"

"Yes, it is." Calla assured her.

"You guys head out." I ordered. "I'll go find Skylar and meet you out there."

Calla led the team out the door, and I started towards the hyperlift. Skylar was probably down there with Perry…suddenly, an idea came to mind. The mission seemed pretty run of the mill – get people out, stop things from blowing up. Nothing that I hadn't handled with Adam and Bree a million times, and with Dani, Kaz, Oliver, and Calla now out in the field with us, would Skylar's presence really make a difference? What if she just…stayed behind.

"MISS?" I said hesitantly. "Lock down the hyperlift. Only reactivate it at my order."

" _Miss Skylar is still in Mission Command."_  MISS protested.

"I'm aware. Do it anyway. And not a word to anyone. If they ask why it's deactivated, tell them it's a mechanical error." I told the AI. "That's an order."

" _Very well."_  She didn't sound like she liked my order at all, but the lights on the hyperlift dimmed. I nodded to myself, then headed out the door to follow the rest of the team.

** Skylar's POV **

"It's a mission alert." I declared, recognizing the alert. I looked at Perry apologetically. "I gotta go."

"Oh, I guess balling my socks can wait." Perry grumbled. I stepped into the hyperlift, but it wouldn't activate. "Why isn't it working? MISS!"

" _Yes, Miss Skylar?"_  The computer replied.

"What's wrong with the hyperlift?" I demanded. There was a pause.

" _There is a mechanical error. I'm afraid the hyperlift is on lockdown."_  She informed me. I sighed. Seriously?

** Chase's POV **

"Listen up." I got there in time to see Calla and Bree leading some people out from the thick cloud of smoke coming from the tunnel. "The truck crumbled the wall, blocking the other exit. The only way to get people out is to bring them back through the smoke."

"I'm here!" I called to them, running past a group of people who were fleeing the scene.

"Where's Skylar?" Oliver questioned, looking past me as if he expected to see the alien come up behind me.

"I couldn't find her." I lied. "I tried calling her, but she didn't respond, and I couldn't wait around all day because I had a team to lead."

"Well, should we maybe, like, try her again?" Oliver suggested.

"No time. The smoke is getting thicker." Calla shook her head. "If we don't put it out soon, the whole tunnel's going to be a toxic cloud."

"Calla's right." I agreed. "I'll do a scan to locate the people who are trapped. Oliver, use your cryoblast to extinguish the fire. Bree, use your super speed to form a cyclone to clear the smoke. Kaz, Dani, you two fly in and evacuate people. Calla, use your geoleap watch to get to the people they can't reach. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Oliver nodded, pulling a phone out of his pocket, "Do you think I should try calling Skylar? She might not be answering because it's you."

"Just go!" I snapped, pointing at the tunnel.

** Skylar's POV **

"I'm going to miss the mission." I muttered, pacing mission command.

"Let me try to fix it. I'm a bit of a techy." Perry offered. She walked over to the hand scanner on the wall, slapped it really hard once, then turned back to me with a sigh. "That's all I got. Just call the team."

"They would have left already. I'm not going to slow them down." I replied, shaking my head. Perry sighed and sat down at the cyberdesk.

"Too bad we can't get to the underground tunnels behind these rock walls. They should connect directly to the mission site."

"Wait, there are tunnels behind here?" I hadn't had the chance to explore all the tunnels yet – only Kaz, Calla, and Dani seemed interested in doing that – so I hadn't known they extended very far past the penthouse. Perry nodded.

"Yep. They go all over the city. That's how I got in here." She explained. "But now they're locked because earlier some nitwit shot the controls."

Well, I wasn't going to let that stop me. I raised my hand towards the section above the rock wall where I knew the opening mechanism was. I blasted it with a ball of pure energy, smirking when the rock wall flew open. "Whoa!" Perry exclaimed excitedly. "And I thought my Uncle Cletus was cool when he popped his belly button in and out to 'Yankee Doodle'. Well, until he pushed too hard and his insides shot out like a snake in a can."

I frowned, looking at her. "You know, I'm starting to wonder if we should really be friends."

** Chase's POV **

"I double-checked. That's everyone." Dani announced, flying back over to us. I nodded.

"Great work, team. We got everybody out in a safe and timely fashion." I smiled happily. "And while that should be reward enough, let me throw this little cherry on top: thank you."

"No worries." "Cool." The others grumbled.

"That's it?" I was offended. They'd treated Skylar better. "No 'thank you, Chase, for your brilliant leadership'?"

"It was amazing, baby." Calla assured me, though I could tell she was only saying so to placate me. The others didn't look so sure though. "Hey! Chase is a great leader. He's worked long and hard at it."

"Thank you, beautiful." I kissed her on the cheek.

"Calla's right. It's not his fault that Skylar just rolled out of bed and became a great one immediately." Bree added.

"You know what? I'm taking back my cherry." I snapped irritably. Suddenly, the roof of the tunnel began to creak and groan.

"The ceiling's cracking." Dani announced, looking up worriedly. "This whole place is gonna come down."

"We have to get out of here." I decided. But before we could go anywhere, we all heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoing somewhere in the tunnel.

"I double checked. There was no one left!" Dani protested.

"You must have missed them. But don't worry – I'll go get them." I assured her before heading into the smoke. Before I got very far though, two figures started making their way through the smoke. As they got closer, I recognized them – Skylar and Perry.

"Skylar? How did you get out…I mean, where were you?" I asked, remembering that A, she didn't know what I did, and B, neither did the others, all of whom were within earshot.

"We were stuck in mission command." She explained. "We had to escape through the underground tunnels."

"Well, what's she doing here?" I questioned, gesturing at Perry.

"Skylar and I are besties now." Perry told me. "Deal with it."

The tunnel creaked again, this time louder than before. "The tunnel's coming down!" Bree shouted, just as the ceiling began to crumble above us. I reacted instantly, pushing Skylar and Perry to the right. We all hit the ground besides a car as the ceiling gave way, the wreckage and debris creating a wall between us and the rest of the team. Dim light filtered in through cracks in the remains of the unsteady ceiling above us. That part hadn't gave way, thankfully, but threatened to with each and every second.

"Are you alright?" I asked as the dust cleared, glancing at Skylar.

"Yeah, you?" She replied, getting up. I nodded. "Alright. I'm going to blast us out of here."

"No!" I snapped quickly. "It isn't stable. The only thing prevent this tunnel from collapsing in this pile." I pointed at the wall of debris. "Blasting us out is a terrible idea, mission leader."

"Then what do you suggest?" Skylar demanded, crossing her arms. I thought about it for a moment.

"I'll put my force field around us. That'll protect us if it collapses." I decided.

"And leave us trapped underneath an even bigger pile of rubble, not to mention crushing the rest of the team." She retorted. Perry cleared her throat, reminding us that she was still there.

"Stop arguing and focus on what's important: saving me." She told us. I rolled my eyes, but Skylar gave her a kind smile.

"Don't worry. We're all going to get out of here." She promised her.

"Don't give her false hope." I told the alien. She looked at me, surprised.

"It's not false or hope. I trust out team, and I know they'll rescue us." She insisted.

"How?" I questioned.

"They're smart. They'll figure it out." Skylar reasoned. Perry snorted in amusement.

"No, they aren't. No, they won't." She replied.

** Calla's POV **

"Chase! Skylar!" Bree shouted. "Can you guys hear me?"

"We have to get them out of there." I decided.

"How? The people that tell us how to do that are both in there." Dani pointed out. I rolled my eyes.

"We're an elite force. We can figure it out ourselves." Bree and I both had the experience, and Kaz, Dani, and Oliver were all fairly creative. Put that together and you have a pretty good combination, right?

"We just have to think." Kaz agreed. "What would Chase or Skylar do?"

"Well, I know one of them would be beautiful." Oliver commented. His sister looked at him.

"I'm starting to wish that you were stuck in there too." She told him. He shrugged.

"You know, with Skylar, I'll take it." He replied before looking back up at the huge mound of rubble. How were we going to get them out of there without killing them and/or us?

** Skylar's POV **

I sighed, sitting against the hood of the car. Chase was still pacing around, trying to figure out how to escape, while Perry had given up completely. "I feel horrible, Chase." I apologized. He looked over at me, surprised. "I mean, you wouldn't even be stuck here if you weren't trying to save our lives."

"Skylar, it's okay. Don't feel bad." He told me.

"Yeah, don't feel bad." Perry agreed. "Especially since he's the one that locked you in mission command."

"What?" I demanded. I turned to look at Chase, who had a deer-in-headlights expression plastered all over his face. "What is she talking about?"

"Yeah. What are you talking about?" Chase forced a confused smile onto his face.

"You purposefully locked her in so that you could go on a mission without her and be leader again." Perry accused.

"Is that true?" It made so much sense.

"Come on, who're you gonna believe? Me, or a chronic liar?" Chase snapped, glaring daggers at Perry.

"I resent you calling me a chronic lair, and so would my nephew, Abraham Lincoln." Perry retorted. I glanced at her, then looked back at Chase.

"I'm going to ask you one last time, Chase. Is it true?" Oh, I knew that Perry was telling the truth – it all made too much sense for it to be a lie – but I wanted to hear it from him.

"Yes, it's true." He sighed. He glared at Perry. "What, did you watch the security footage? Did MISS rat me out?"

"Neither. I just thought, what would I do if I was Chase and was threatened by an amazing, vastly superior superhero?" Perry hummed thoughtfully. "Guess we're not that different after all. You really could be my son."

** Calla's POV **

"We're running out of time." Bree muttered, looking at the roof of the tunnel worriedly. She looked at me. "We have to figure out a way to remove one of those giant rocks so they can climb through."

"But if we remove the wrong one, the entire tunnel will collapse." I muttered. Suddenly, something occurred to me. "Wait a sec, this is just like your Topple the Tower game."

"Yeah, except when we play, almost no one dies." Kaz insisted.

"Almost?" Bree repeated, staring.

"Nothing." Kaz said quickly, covering it up.

"Either way," we could deal with the 'almost' later, "with all your experience, you should have an advantage at picking the right rock."

"We've played like two games…and we didn't even finish the last one." Dani retorted.

"No, no. Calla's right." Oliver told his sister. "That could work."

"You're a genius, Calla." Kaz complimented me.

"She told you to move a rock. Settle down." "Well, duh." Bree and I commented at the same time. I gave my friend a hurt look as Oliver, Dani, and Kaz all went to move a rock.

"Okay, we can't all do this." Dani interrupted them, as they reached for different rocks. She sighed. "Kaz won the first game, so he picks."

"Fine." Oliver sighed reluctantly. Kaz got down on his knees, looking for a big enough rock near the bottom to pull. He reached for one, but Oliver stopped him. "Not that one. I'm pretty sure it's the other one."

"Okay." Kaz put his hands on a different rock, then began to pull it out. Immediately, the whole thing began to shake.

"Not that one, not that one!" Dani said quickly as Kaz shoved it back in.

"This might take a little longer than expected." Bree commented, looking at me.

** Chase's POV **

"Look, Skylar, I'm sorry, okay?" I sighed, turning to the very angry girl. "I was afraid you were going to take my job."

"I told you, the only reason why I stepped in was because the team needed me." Skylar insisted. "I never wanted to be mission leader."

"But you could be." I looked down for a moment. "You're really good at it, and when I saw how the team responded to you, I-I just panicked."

"It's just a title, Chase." She said gently. I shook my head.

"No, not to me." I sat down on the hood of the car. "Without that title, I don't know who I am."

"I can tell you who you are, but you won't like it." Perry interjected.

"It doesn't matter anyway." I sighed. "We're either going to die in here, or if we do somehow manage to get out, everyone is going to find out what I did, and they'll never respect me enough to be mission leader again. Either way, it's over for me."

Just as I said that, the rocks behind us began to shift. Thinking that the wall was coming down, I spun around, panicked, but instead, a few larger rocks fell out, revealing Kaz. He laid on his stomach, having crawled through a tunnel he must have made in the rock wall. "Glen!" Perry exclaimed.

"Uh, no, it's Paul actually. Oliver's Glen." Kaz corrected. Perry nodded and the boy grinned at us. "Anyone need a rescue?"

** Xxx **

"I knew you guys could do it." Skylar smiled at the others warmly.

"Really? Because there was all sorts of self-doubt at this end." Dani commented.

"Perry was amazing in the tunnels." Skylar continued. "There were tons of rats down there, but when they saw her coming, they just scattered."

"Yeah, she does frighten most living things." Calla agreed, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Hey, you never mentioned how you got stuck in mission command." Bree looked at Skylar. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for everyone's reactions.

"I don't know." I had to stop myself from staring when Skylar lied for me. "I guess the hyperlift just broke."

"Again?" Calla sighed. "I'm gonna have to take a look at it."

"I'm sure Chase can." Skylar commented. I nodded stiffly, still surprised by the way Skylar was covering for me.

"Fine then." Calla shrugged, accepting it. She glanced at the rock wall behind us. "I should go direct maintenance crews to handle this."

Most of the others walked away as well, leaving me with Perry and Skylar. "You got lucky. If Skylar won't snitch, your secret's safe with me. For now."

I watched as Perry followed after the others, before turning to Skylar. "Why?" I asked, confused. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I get it. When I lost my powers, I lost my identity." She explained. "I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone."

"Thank you." I told her sincerely. She smiled, then hefted her mission bag over her shoulder.

"Let's get out of here." She replied.

** Skylar's POV **

"You know what?" Kaz commented, walking into the kitchen, carrying a case of water bottles. He started distributing them. "We're two for two on missions. You know what that calls for."

He went to pull out his phone, but Calla snatched it out of his hands before he could. "We said no." She insisted sternly before placing it on the table in front of her.

"You don't deserve water." He grumbled, handing the water bottle he was going to give her of to me.

"So, what did you guys think of your first missions?" Bree inquired, looking at us.

"Honestly, I was just happy to be out there again." I admitted. "Being a hero is what I was born to do."

"And what I was implanted with a chip by an egotistical millionaire to do." Bree added with a smirk.

"We just touched a space rock." Dani commented. Calla opened her mouth to add something, but then sighed.

"Yeah, I don't have powers." She admitted.

"You're a good mascot though." Dani teased. Calla looked at her, offended, then hit her in the stomach with a throw pillow.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." Chase declared, walking down the stairs. He sat down on the couch next to Calla. "I've decided to take on a new role. Team Member."

"Awesome." Oliver grinned. "Now Dee can be leader. Or Kaz, or Bree, or Calla, or me." They all a grinned at the idea.

"No one's going to be leader!" Chase snapped. Calla laughed and put her hand on his knee, calming him slightly. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Because any one of us can step up and take control when needed. You all proved that today."

"Wow, Chase, I'm really impressed." I complimented him. Letting go of something like that wasn't easy, especially considering how hard he'd fought for it.

"Scooch!" Perry suddenly burst in and sat between Calla and Chase, forcing the couple apart. They both looked at her, annoyed.

"Why are you still here?" Calla asked bluntly. Perry smirked.

"I'm going to let Chase answer that." The woman replied smugly. Chase looked down, embarrassed.

"I told Perry that I wanted her to stay." He replied. Or, in other words, Perry blackmailed him into letting her stay.

"Why?" Bree demanded.

"Well, by helping Skylar through the tunnels, she proved that she could be a valuable support member for the team, so I talked to Mr. Davenport and he set her up with an apartment." He blanched. "Right next door."

Calla and Bree both groaned as Perry jumped off the couch and proceeded to try and drag the large blue chair out of the room. With Dani still sitting in it. "What are you doing?" The short-haired girl demanded, twisting around in the seat.

"My pad ain't gonna furnish itself!" Perry exclaimed as she began to drag the chair (and Dani) into the hall.


	7. The List

** Dani's POV **

"Hey, check it out." Chase announced, walking into the penthouse, carrying a large box in his hands. "Mr. Davenport shipped us a box from Mission Creek."

"As long as he's not in it, then yay!" Bree joked. I laughed, getting up from the kitchen counter with her.

"Awesome." Calla grinned as she opened the box. "He sent us some of our old technology."

"Dude." Kaz shook his head at the girl before snatching a piece of paper from the box. "You're supposed to read the Daven-Card."

He opened it up and read from it. "'Dear Elite Force, I am converting the lab into a nursery for the new baby, so please keep this stuff at the penthouse for me.'"

"He's raising a baby in the basement? That kid's going to have some serious issues." Ollie commented, smirking. Bree and Chase cleared their throats. "Uh, no offense."

I glanced inside the box. There was a small silver box sitting on top of a folded, silvery cloak, along with a silver device and a couple of toy dolls of Bree, Chase, Davenport, and who I could only assume was the other Davenport sibling, Adam.

"What's this?" Skylar questioned, pulling the small box. Inside were two tiny microchips.

"Those are cyber cloaks." Calla explained, taking them from her. "They're cirtual body disguises. They can make you take on anyone's appearance."

"One time, I got stuck looking like Bree, and I had to go to the school dance with Calla's brother." Chase reminisced.

"The same thing happened to me, but with a guy named Barry." Ollie remembered. "Not the cyber cloak thing, texting mishap. It's a long story; I'll tell you later."

"And then Dee and I will tell you how we orchestrated the whole thing." Kaz added with a grin. Ollie glared at us, having not realized before now that we had been responsible for that oh so funny accidental date.

"What's this?" Kaz pulled out a small device from the box.

"Be careful!" Chase warned him quickly. "That's a Neural Scrambler. It can erase someone's memory. Minutes, hours, even years of someone's life."

"Oh, please tell me you did that to someone!" I grinned. That sounded so cool.

"Well, Chase did." Calla commented, crossing her arms and looking pointedly at her fiancé.

"Okay, I've apologized, like, six times for that. And I bought you chocolate." He insisted. Skylar and I exchanged amused looks – oh, we were so getting that story from one of them later.

"So how does this thing…" Kaz pressed a button on the device and a light flashed in his face. He blinked, confused. "What's this?"

"Okay, I'm taking that away before we end up with a five year old Kaz." Calla decided, taking the device from his hands. I grinned, looking at the device. Oh, and I was taking that for a test drive.

** Skylar's POV **

"Okay, team meeting time." Chase announced, walking into Mission Command. The rest of us were sitting around the cyberdesk, waiting. "Thank you all for coming."

"Honey, we live here. We didn't really have a choice." Calla pointed out.

"Yeah, did you really have to post flyers in the kitchen?" Bree agreed.

"That was Oliver's idea." Chase explained.

"And I think attendance speaks for itself." Oliver grinned.

"Anyway, I have an update about our plan to warn all the superheroes about Roman and Riker." Cahse continued. "By using Kaz' computer password from Mighty Med, we were able to access the encrypted superhero communications network."

"It's a secure way for superheroes to message each other without exposing themselves to the outside world." I explained for those who didn't know. "It's also a great way to share recipes. Red Assassin loved my banana muffins."

"Anyway, using the network, we were able to gather the locations of most of the remaining superheroes." Calla continued, standing up. "It took some time since most of them use civilian cover identities to live undetected. But we were able to locate any and all superheroes who've accessed the network since Mighty Med was destroyed."

"That reminds me," Kaz piped up. "I have a civilian cover now. Secretly, I'm Kaz, a fire-powered superhero. But to the world, I'm Matchhead, a mild-mannered, regular Joe."

"Matchhead?" Bree repeated. "So your civilian cover has a superhero name?"

"Dude, I know, like, four Matchheads." Kaz reasoned.

"Anyway, here's the list." Calla pressed a button on the cyberdesk, and a list of names and locations appeared above us. To our dismay, there were only ten names on there. Before Roman and Riker, there had been at least eighty active superheroes.

"Scarlet Ace, Frostbite, Temperament…Spotlight." Dani let out a breath. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Hey, Crossbow's on here." I smiled widely, noticing her name sitting between Captain Atomic and Defroster. "She taught me everything I know about being a superhero. She was my first real friend on Earth."

"But I was your first best friend, right?" Dani asked.

"No, not even close." I replied. She frowned, but didn't comment on it. "Look, she's living undercover right here in Centium City." I smiled. "I can't wait to see her. It's been years."

"I'm sorry, Skylar, but no meeting up with the superheroes." Chase told me apologetically. "We never know who's watching, and we can't take the risk of exposing their true identity."

"But Crossbow's in danger." I argued.

"Every hero is in danger." He reminded me, not unkindly. "That's why using the network is the safest option."

"We can get the word out to everyone at once, without putting them at risk, and confirm when they receive it." Calla added.

"Okay." I sighed. They were right, I suppose. "I guess I won't get to see my friend. But I still have you, right Dani?" I asked, turning to the closest of the girls.

"Not even close." She retorted, getting up and sitting between Bree and Calla.

** Dani's POV **

"I'm Bree, whoosh, whoosh." Calla, Chase, and I all stopped at the bottom of the stairs, staring at Kaz as he played around with dolls Davenport had sent us. "I'm Chase…smart, smart."

"What are you doing?" I asked, amused. Kaz looked up, surprised, but didn't try to hide the dolls.

"Dude, put those down." Chase scolded.

"Why?" Kaz questioned, confused. "They're just dolls."

"Action figures!" Chase insisted. Kaz gave him a look.

"Dude, I've been on that side of the argument. It's a losing battle." My boyfriend advised. "Let's just admit it; we like dolls."

"It takes a real man to admit that." Calla complimented, walking past us on her way to the kitchen. Chase looked at her grumpily, then snatched the dolls away from him.

"Action figures." The smarter boy hissed. I laughed lightly, then joined Kaz on the couch.

"So, that new X-men movie comes out next week, and I wanna go see it." I told him, swinging my legs up onto his lap. "Wanna make a date of it?"

"Sure. If I get to pick where we eat." He reasoned. I opened my mouth to protest, but he quickly cut me off. "I will make sure they have vegetarian options."

"Okay." I grinned as Skylar and Bree walked in from Mission Command.

"Hey guys." Bree greeted.

"Hey, has Crossbow responded to her message yet?" Skylar inquired.

"No, but almost everyone else has." Chase replied. Kaz grinned.

"The system's working, and it's all thanks to Match Head." He complimented himself. I frowned at him.

"All you did was give Chase your password, which you only remembered because you copied my password so you didn't have to remember one." I pointed out.

"He did?" Chase asked, confused. I nodded. "Dani, why is your password DaniStayOutOfMyStuff?"

"Because I copied Ollie's password so I wouldn't have to remember one." I replied simply. He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head.

"Something's wrong. She should've checked in by now." Skylar worried.

"Don't worry, Skylar. I'm sure Crossbow will get her message soon." Bree assured her.

"And what if she doesn't?" Skylar shook her head, clearly concerned. "She's here in Centium City, which also happens to be the last known location of Roman and Riker. They could be tracking her down just like they did with us."

"Skylar, calm down. Chase and I both did the math, and this is the best and safest way to spread the word." Calla promised her. Chase nodded in agreement.

"There's a 98% chance that the message will get to her." He agreed.

"Which means there's a two percent chance that it won't." Skylar stood her ground. She went to storm off, but Kaz stopped her.

"Hold on." He frowned for a moment, then his face cleared. "No, two percent. That's right."

She shook her head in frustration and stormed off onto the veranda. "Should someone go talk to her?"

"I volunteer Ollie." I spoke up. They all looked at me. "Oh, please. Despite what she says, she likes him best. He'll have the best chance of talking her out of doing something stupid."

** Skylar's POV **

I sighed, leaning against the wall of the veranda. I didn't know what to do. I'd always been trained to follow orders, and despite the fact that he'd given up the official title, it was still pretty clear that when push came to shove, Chase would lead this team. Not to mention, it felt like everyone else on the team agreed with him. But Crossbow could be dead already for all I knew.

"Hey Skylar." I looked over my shoulder to see Oliver walking up behind me, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. "I just got back from the gym. I blasted the old delts."

I smiled lightly as he stretched his legs. "Your delts are up there." I informed him, pointing at the upper part of his arm.

"So you've noticed." He grinned back at me. I rolled my eyes. "You're still worried about Crossbow, aren't you?"

He always could tell. "How could I not be?" I sighed as he walked over and leaned against the wall besides me. "So many of our friends are dead. There were ten names on that list, Oliver. Ten."

"Yeah, I know." He agreed. "Jaime, Alan, Philip, Liv…none of them were on it."

"We lost them all when Mighty Med was destroyed," there was no denying it anymore. If they hadn't been on the list, they were gone. "But we had no way of seeing that coming. If something happens now, and I know I could have warned her, I'll never be able to live with myself."

"I know." Oliver nodded.

"What if Crossbow doesn't get that message, and Roman and Riker get to her before we do?" I thought aloud. I sighed in defeat, ducking my head. "I don't know what to do, Oliver."

He put his hand on my shoulder. "I do." I looked up, surprised. "You're going to find Crossbow, and I'm coming with you."

"Really?" He was going to help me with this, against everyone else's wishes?

"Yeah. We'll just get her location off the superhero list." He smiled at me. "As long as we're careful and quick about it, no one will even know."

"So it'll be like our little secret." I smiled back.

"Yeah." He nodded. I lunged forward, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back, then I felt his muscles move.

"Are you flexing?" I asked, not pulling away.

"…Possibly." He admitted. I laughed and pulled away, then grabbed his hand.

"Come on." I told him, leading him down to mission command.

** Xxx **

"Alright, according to the list, Crossbow's civilian cover name is Angela Conner. She's a groundskeeper." Oliver read off his phone. He looked around at the huge part. "This place is huge, there's no way we're ever going to find-"

"There she is!" I exclaimed, grinning when I caught sight of Crossbow. She was standing near a tree, sweeping up a pile of leaves. Despite the fact that she was wearing a Normo uniform – specifically a blue-ish green groundskeeper's uniform – I recognized the African-American superhero instantly. Her black, curly hair was swept over her shoulders, leaving her face visible. Her brown eyes widened when she saw me.

"Skylar?" She questioned, dropping her rake.

"Crossbow!" I exclaimed. She started towards me, then stopped when she saw Oliver.

"Uh, no. I have never heard that name before." She said, trying and failing at making her lie sound believable, or smooth in the slightest. When she spoke, the words came out in a monotone, obviously forced. "My name is Angela Connor, and I am a groundskeeper here at the Centium City Community Park."

"She's good." Oliver commented sarcastically. "That sounded real natural."

I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. "It's okay, Crossbow." I assured my friend. "He's with me. He's a superhero too."

She looked at him skeptically. "Seriously? Are we just letting anybody in?"

"Pretty much, yeah." I agreed. She laughed and stepped forward to hug me. I hugged her back tightly, then pulled away and sat down on a bench below the tree. "I was so worried about you, Skylar. I wasn't sure if you made it out of Mighty Med alive, but judging by you sitting here, breathing and stuff, I guess you did."

"That's not the only surprise I have for you." I grinned. "I got my powers back."

"No way!" Crossbow exclaimed, beaming. "How?"

"Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it." I heard Oliver mutter from behind me. But I had to.

"This amazing bionic guy named Chase." I told her. She smirked.

"He's the cute one on TV right?" She questioned.

"He's also engaged." I told her before she could get any ideas.

"Oh well. More fish in the sea, I suppose." She shrugged. Oliver stepped in.

"Look, Crossbow, the people who destroyed Mighty Med are in Centium City," He told her, "hunting down superheroes, including you."

"You found the people who destroyed Mighty Med?" She demanded. Oliver nodded and handed her his phone, showing her a blurry-ish image of the two shapeshifters.

"Roman and Riker. Roddiseus' kids. They're shapeshifters who can fuse together to form an incredible powerful black swarm." I filled her in. "So if you see them, don't try to fight them alone."

"Yeah. Alright." She nodded.

"Skylar," I looked up at Oliver. He jerked his head towards the park entrance, "we better get back before someone realizes we're gone."

I nodded, knowing he was right. Crossbow and I both got up. "Take care of yourself." I told her, giving her one final hug.

"I'm so glad I got to see you again, Skylar." She replied. "We'll have to get together when all this blows."

"Definitely." I agreed.

"And thanks for the heads up." Crossbow added, nodding at Oliver appreciatively. Oliver and I started away from her, but I stopped a few feet away.

"Thank you, Oliver. Really." I told him, taking his hand again.

"My pleasure." He assured me.

"The pleasure's all mine." We spun around at the sound of another's voice. Behind us stood Roman, the older of the two brothers.

"Come on! Seriously?" Oliver held up our still clasped hands. "We're having a moment!"

I pulled my hand away, staring at Roman. "Is that one of the guys you just showed me?"

"Yeah, this is…" Oliver paused. "I wanna say Riker."

"Roman." The villain corrected with a roll of his eyes.

"So close." Oliver muttered.

"Nice work. You played right into my hands." Roman sneered, beginning to pace. "And as a thank you, I'm gonna let you watch your friend perish."

"I don't think so." Crossbow retorted. She reached down and ripped her uniform off with a single pull, revealing the black and red superhero suit underneath.

"Velcro." Oliver hummed, impressed. "Smart."

"Stand down." Crossbow said to us. "He's mine."

She raised her right hand, and a golden, high-tech crossbow slid out of her glove, assembling itself. "You know what's the worst thing about being a groundskeeper?" She questioned, glaring daggers at Roman. "After I fill you with arrows, I'm going to have to clean up the mess."

Without another moment, she shot an arrow at Roman's chest, not holding anything back. He reacted instantly, spinning around, ripping a street sign from the ground, and used it to deflect the arrow back at Crossbow. She dodged it with ease, but looked a little surprised to see him react so smoothly.

"My turn." He smirked cockily. He spun around again, this time generating power, the energy flowing directly into the metal sign, before he propelled it right at Crossbow. She tried to leap out of the way, but as she hadn't been expecting it, she didn't get away in time. The sign knocked her flat on her back, the air rushing from her lungs.

"Crossbow!" I shouted, rushing towards her. I knelt next to her, making sure she was okay, before glaring at Roman.

** Dani's POV **

"He seriously that?" I laughed as Calla, Bree, and I walked into the penthouse, smoothies in our hands. Calla nodded, smiling.

"And this was, like, a week after they started going out too." Bree added, giggling. Chase looked up from the book he was reading.

"What are you guys talking about?" He asked. We all looked at each other and started laughing. "What?"

"Nothing." Calla replied, a smirk on her face as she headed for the hyperlift.

"No, tell me!" The boy insisted, only making us laugh more.

"I want to check the list again, see if anyone else has responded." I commented, following Calla into the hyperlift.

"Seriously, what are you guys laughing at me for?" Chase called just before we sped down into mission command.

"I can't believe he erased your memory right after you started dating." I smirked. "I mean, that's something you do after you've screwed up a relationship not before."

"I know, right?" Calla smirked as we stepped out. "Oh, hey Kaz."

Kaz spun around, turning his back to the cyberdesk. "Oh, hey…you guys."

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Um…" He thought for a moment. "I just wanted to go over the superhero location list one more time."

"Why?" Calla questioned.

"To make sure there's no typos." He explained. Calla and I exchanged looks.

"Bree was telling me earlier about how the last time you texted her, you misspelled LOL." Calla said cautiously, frowning. "Why are you so worried about typos?"

"Just pull up the list." Kaz insisted harshly.

"Alright, chill." I walked past him to open up the cyberdesk. "There's no need to snap."

"It's fine. He's probably still cranky because Chase took away his dolls." She teased. Kaz gave her a blank look.

"What does that even mean?" He questioned, confused. That made us stop. How did he not know what she meant? I mean, unless he accidently wiped his memory with that neural scrambler, but I thought Calla hid that away to avoid just that.

"Uh, the dolls? The ones you were just playing with earlier?" I prompted. He nodded, still looking confused.

"Oh, right." He paused before adding, "Those were, um, very special to me."

Okay, that was just plain weird. Calla put her hand on my arm, gently pushing me away from him.

"Hey, Kaz, what did those dolls look like?" She questioned suspiciously. He froze, unsure of the answer, and that was all the confirmation we needed. Calla whipped her plasma gun, aiming it at his forehead. "Who are you?"

Kaz flipped into the air, shapeshifting mid-air, first into a cloud, then into the younger of the evil shapeshifting brothers. "Riker."

"I'm taking that list." He informed us. "The only question is, how much I have to hurt you to get it."

** Skylar's POV **

"Right now, my brother's retrieving your list of superheroes and taking out the rest of your team." Roman sneered. "So congratulations. You're all failing at the same time."

I grit my teeth together. Oliver got to his feet. "You protect Crossbow." He told me, clenching his fists. "I'll take him out with my super strength."

He glared at Roman, who only looked amused. "You're going down." He said before charging at Roman, screaming. Roman kicked him hard in the gut, sending Oliver sprawling back down to the ground.

"A for effort." I told him, patting his shoulder before getting up myself. "You're really getting on my nerves." I growled to Roman.

I charged at him, swinging my fists at his head. He dodged the blows, spinning around to try and take me off guard. It worked a bit, as he did manage to jab me right in the stomach. I stumbled back, into the bench we'd been sitting on earlier, but before he could get another punch in, I leapt into the air, landing on top of the bench with steady feet before attempting to kick him in the head. The first kicked missed, so I tried again, only for him to grab my leg with a steel-like grip. He flipped me over his shoulder and slammed me into the ground as hard as he could. I groaned in agony, writhing on the ground as he stepped over me, heading for Crossbow.

"Come here." He growled, forcing her to her feet. He raised a glowing, purple fist. "Say goodbye to your besties."

"Roman, wait!" I turned my head to see Riker race into the park. "Don't do it."

"Why not?" The older brother demanded.

"I've got the list, but they've already sent out the alert." Riker explained. "The other superheroes know we're coming. Let's keep her alive so we can use her as bait, to draw them to us."

"Good idea." Roman dropped his fist, then ducked down and lifted Crossbow over his shoulder. He rolled his eyes when she tried to protest that she was capable of walking, "shut it!"

"Don't move!" Oh, thank goodness. Just then, Chase, Bree, Calla, and Dani all raced into the park, ready for a fight.

"They must have followed me." Riker cursed.

"They'll be sorry they did." Roman replied as Oliver and I climbed to our feet. Roman tossed Crossbow to the side like she was a ragdoll, then held his arm out to his brother. Riker took it, and the two prepared to attack.

"Watch out!" I shouted, backing up slightly. "They're making their swarm."

But then, something weird happened: nothing. They didn't transform, they didn't attack, they didn't do anything. "…Why isn't it working?" Roman hissed after a moment.

"Probably because I'm not Riker." Riker smirked before punching Roman in the gut. Roman dropped to the floor, much to the other's pleasure. Riker, or not-Riker, raised his hand to his neck, where he pressed down on a faint, silver colored, translucent square. Suddenly, his entire body changed, transforming into Bree's.

"What?" Oliver questioned, confused. He looked over at the Bree standing between Chase and Dani, but she too raised her hand to her neck and transformed, this time turning into Kaz.

"You just got cyber-cloaked!" Bree mocked, smirking.

"That's right! And I was Bree!" Kaz chuckled.

"Why?" I asked the obvious questioned. He shrugged.

"I don't know. I just really wanted to use the cyber cloak." He explained. Roman slowly got up, looking between all of us.

"Where's my brother?" He questioned. Dani smirked and crossed her arms.

"Locked in an industrial freezer." She said cockily. "That way, he can't shape-shift his way out."

"Give up, Roman." Calla advised. "You've been outsmarted and outnumbered."

Roman looked at us, frowning angrily when we all circled him, blocking his escape in every direction. Then, he leapt into the air, flew above our heads, and landed just behind Oliver and I, just a couple of feet away from Crossbow. She tried to get up and get away, but he grabbed her first, forcing her to her feet and holding a purple, glowing fist in front of her face. "Well, this is interesting." He commented, eyeing us.

"Let her go, Roman." Oliver told him, glaring. Roman smirked a little.

"How about a trade?" He proposed.

"Crossbow for your brother." Dani nodded. He laughed darkly and shook his head.

"Crossbow for my brother, and the list." He countered.

"That's not a fair trade." Oliver refused.

"Yes, because up to this point, he seemed like such an honorable guy." Bree commented sarcastically.

"Don't do it." Crossbow struggled against Roman's grip, but there was a fierce look on her face. "It's not worth it."

"To them it might be." Roman looked directly at me. "That's my offer. Take it, or say goodbye to Crossbow forever."

"Stop." I said quickly as he pulled his arm back, more energy swirling around it. "We'll take the deal."

I glanced back at the others, and though they didn't look like they were happy about it, no one argued with me. "Skylar, please don't." I looked back at the sound of Crossbow's voice. She looked at me imploringly. "If Roman and Riker get that list, they'll take out every superhero on it."

"She's got a point." Calla murmured.

"We'll find a way to stop them." I insisted.

"And what if we can't?" Chase challenged. "You're putting the life of one hero over all the rest."

"I can't just let her die." I insisted. "If she were your friend, you'd take the deal."

"She's right." Dani agreed. I nodded at her, grateful to have at least one friend on my side.

"I'm with Skylar." Oliver added. Chase sighed, then nodded at me to continue.

"I'll get Riker and the list." Bree offered, before speeding off. She returned half a second later, one hand holding a memory stick, and the other gripping onto the sleeve of a very cold-looking Riker.

"Good choice." Roman commented. "Let him go."

Bree pushed Riker forwards and he walked over to his brother, scowling at us angrily.

"Now the list." Roman continued.

"Crossbow first." I retorted. Roman glanced at her, then at me.

"Same time." He decided.

"Don't do it!" Crossbow protested. She looked at me. "Skylar, you've done all you could to protect me. Just keep the other heroes safe."

"No." I shook my head. "I'm just going to let you die."

I took the list from Bree and placed it in Roman's hands. Like he promised, he released Crossbow, shoving her forward towards us. "This is it!" He proclaimed, smirking. "Everything we need to wipe out the rest of these pathetic heroes."

He looked at his brother, then tossed the memory stick into the air, towards him. "You keep this safe."

Everything seemed to slow down then, and I watched as Crossbow raised her weapon and shot an arrow towards the stick. It hit its target with pinpoint accuracy, destroying the memory stick mid-air. "No!" Roman shouted in fury before spinning and shooting a blast of energy at Crossbow. It hit her before anyone could react, throwing her into a nearby rock. She hit it hard and slid to the ground, unmoving.

"Crossbow!" I screamed, rushing towards my friend. I knelt down next to her, looking at her hopelessly. She looked hurt, bad, with a deep looking gash in the side of her head. "Crossbow!"

Her eyes fluttered open. "Don't…let them…win." She managed to gasp before her entire body went limp, her head rolling.

"No, no, no!" I murmured, shaking her to try and wake her up.

"She doesn't have a pulse." Kaz murmured quietly, checking her wrist.

"One superhero down." I heard Roman brag. I stood up, shaking in anger. "And now, time to exterminate the rest. List or no list."

That was it. I leapt towards them, catching their fists as they tried to fight back, then flipped backwards and used my super speed to push them away as hard as I could. They stumbled backwards and I smirked, remembering when Crossbow taught me that move, during my first few days a superhero. Before they could properly recover, I sent a powerful wave of energy their way, knocking them back to the ground.

"Forget this!" Riker shouted, climbing to his feet. "I'm out!"

True to his word, he left, shapeshifting into a bird and flying away as fast as his wings could carry him. "Riker!" Roman shouted, clearly pissed. "Get back here, you coward!"

He looked at us, then back in the direction of his brother. "This isn't over." He told us, before shapeshifting into a crow and flying away. "Skylar." Dani called me back over to the group. I walked over, staring at Crossbow's body.

"We should…" Chase glanced at me. "We should get her out of here."

"Right, yeah." I nodded, bending down to help.

** Xxx **

I couldn't break my gaze away from Crossbow's prone body, lying on top of the cyberdesk. She was dead, and she would still be alive right now if I hadn't gone to find her.

"Crossbow sacrificed herself so that others could live." Bree told me, trying to make me feel better. "She's a true hero."

"This is all my fault." I murmured.

"Skylar, that's not true." Chase promised me. "No one blames you."

I turned to look at him. "Well, you should. I messed everything up."

"No, I was the one who offered to take you to Crossbow." Oliver commented, crossing his arms. "I just couldn't stand to see you hurting."

"Thanks, Oliver." I placed my hand on his arm. "But I started this. And now I have to live with it."

There was a long moment of silence, then, "Oh my God, we're all idiots."

We all turned to look at Dani, confused. She was grinning ear to ear. "Okay, Dee, we're gonna need a little more than that to figure out why you're smiling." Kaz told her. She turned to Oliver.

"Crossbow's gloves, they're powers by Horologrian pearls, right?" She asked, a twinkle in her eye. Oliver frowned at her, confused for a moment, then it cleared

"Just like the self-regeneration paddles at Mighty Med." He realized. "Dani, that's genius!"

"I have my moments." The short-haired girl smirked.

"What are they talking about?" Bree whispered to Calla. She shrugged, watching the siblings like a hawk.

"Do you guys think we can use the energy from Crossbow's gloves to repair the damage to her body?" Kaz guessed.

"It's worth a shot." Oliver nodded. The rest of us watched as Kaz and Dani each pulled off one of Crossbow's gloves. But before they could do anything with them, Oliver stopped them. "Wait, I just thought of something. The gloves will just direct the energy away from her body, not into it like we need them to."

"Turn them inside out?" Kaz looked at Dani. She shrugged and followed his lead, turning the gloves inside out before slipping Crossbow's hands back into them. Almost immediately, her body began to shake violently, golden waves us energy flowing through her veins. She stilled after a moment, only for her to sit up, gasping for breath. She looked around in confusion, while we all stared.

"Holy crap." Bree stated, staring with wide eyes.

"I don't believe it!" I laughed in amazement as Dani help Crossbow sit up.

"You…" Calla furrowed her brow in confusion, "…You brought her back from the dead by turning her gloves inside out?"

"Superheroes." Chase shook his head. "I give up."

** Dani's POV **

"Seriously, that's not even scientifically possible!" A couple of hours later, and Calla still couldn't stop staring at Crossbow. It was pretty funny, actually. "I mean…" She glanced at me and my brother before turning back to the hero in question. "You seriously learned that at Mighty Med."

"Yes." Ollie sighed for millionth time. Calla nodded, frowning.

"I should go." Crossbow announced, getting up from the kitchen counter, where and Skylar had spent the last couple of hours chatting.

"You're not staying?" Skylar sounded disappointed.

"Sorry, but now that my civilian cover's been blown, it's time I moved on." She told her friend apologetically. She looked over at me, Ollie, and Kaz. "Thank you for saving my life."

"No problem." We replied. Skylar gave her friend a hug.

"Come back any time." She told her. "And if you ever need help, don't be afraid to ask."

"Right back at you. Call me if you guys need anything." Crossbow replied. She looked at us. "And good luck against Roman and Riker."

"Thanks." "Bye." We said, watching her leave, just as Chase came up from mission command.

"Good news." He announced. "All of the superheroes on the list have received our encrypted message and responded."

"Thank goodness." Bree sighed in relief.

"But that still leaves the bad news." Kaz reminded her. "Roman and Riker are still out there."

"And something tells me that they're not giving up." I added sullenly.

** Roman's POV **

"This is all your fault!" I hissed to Riker as our father paced around us. He was angry, that was much was obvious, and it was all because Riker was too much of a coward to fight Skylar Storm.

"I don't care whose fault it is." Our father snapped at me as he paced. "First you fail to procure the list of superheroes, and then you fail to capture even one member of this so-called Elite Force."

"We'll get them." I promised. "We just need more time."

"We don't have more time!" He roared at me.

"We did kill another superhero." Riker pointed out.

"And you think that matters?" Father snapped. "There's not enough left for them to be a threat."

He looked at me in disgust. "It was a mistake to think that I could count on you, my eldest son, to make your father proud."

"Just tell us what to do. We can take down the Elite Force." I insisted.

"You've done enough. It's time to switch things up." Father smiled darkly. "This time, the Elite Force won't know what hit them."


	8. Coming Through in the Clutch

** Bree's POV **

"So, Skylar get any word from Crossbow?" Chase was asking Dani as I walked into the kitchen. It was early in the morning, only about seven, but everyone was already up. Chase and Dani were in the kitchen, eating, Kaz was playing video games in the living room, Skylar was still getting dressed, Oliver was lying on his bed with the door open, reading something on his phone, and Calla was pacing around her bedroom, on the phone with someone.

"Yeah, actually." Dani nodded, taking a sip from her orange juice. "She's heading out east for a bit. She's trying to track down some vigilante archer who's been playing hero for the past few months."

"I didn't know there were any other archer heroes." I commented, sitting down.

"Not that I know of, but he could be new." Dani shrugged. "He sounds new, anyway."

"Cool." I grabbed a couple of pancakes from the big plate in the middle of the table. "So, anyone got plans-"

I was cut off when Calla raced down the stairs and tackle-hugged Chase from behind, grinning like a kid in a candy store. "Good morning to you too." Chase chuckled, bemused.

"What's with you?" Dani asked, trying not to laugh at Calla's enthusiasm.

"Remember that government contract I was trying to score?" She asked quickly, loosing her grasp on Chase. She grinned. "Score! People, I just made 4 million dollars."

"What?" "Seriously?" "Dude, shopping spree!" "4 million?" We all stared at her. She took a breath, calming herself, before sitting down.

"They liked my design for the new Para-Blaster. It's ten times more powerful than the Paragun, but still non-lethal and won't seriously injure the suspect." She explained, grabbing a glass of juice. "And once you take away the production costs, including what I'm paying Davenport to rent one of his factories to produce the weapons, and shipping costs, it's a little over four million. I'm a millionaire." She looked like she didn't believe it herself.

"Then we should go shopping." I insisted. Calla shook her head.

"Millionaires don't stay millionaires by spending their money. I'm investing it in a new project." She explained. I sighed, disappointed.

"What kind of project?" Chase asked, interested. Calla hesitated.

"It's a surprise, actually. But it's big. I'm probably going to have to sell a few more of my gadgets, but I'm going to submit a few things to the Call next month, so money won't be an issue for long." She considered, taking a bite of her pancakes. "But it's definitely going to be worth it."

"Guys!" I looked up as Oliver raced down the stairs. "I just found out they're having an Olympic send-off celebration at the park this afternoon!"

"Ooh, will there be a piñata?" Kaz grinned. "Because if so, my candy-whacking arm is locked and loaded."

"It's a pep rally where the fans can meet Olympic athletes before they fly off to compete in the Games." Oliver explained, taking a seat next to his sister. "And best of all, Clutch will be there."

"That's awesome!" Chase exclaimed, overly enthusiastic. "I have no idea who that is."

"He's only the greatest weightlifter ever, and a shoe-in to win gold." Oliver explained, grinning excitedly. "They call him Clutch because he always comes through in the clutch."

"And because his real name has fourteen syllables and won't fit on the back of a tank top." Dani added, getting up and moving to the couch.

"I've seen all of Clutch's competitions." Oliver continued. "One year, I even dressed up like him for Halloween."

"Oliver, instead of some meathead jock, why not idolize a real hero?" Chase questioned. "Like a president, or a Nobel-winning scientist, or me."

"Or, you could idolize a cool athlete like Tom Brady." Kaz added. "Or me. I'm great a foosball."

"I can't wait to meet Clutch. Wait, what am I going to say? What am I going to wear? Ooh, I wonder if my Halloween costume still fits!" Oliver exclaimed. He rushed towards the stairs, running into Skylar along the way. "Guess what, Skylar? It's clutch time!" He flexed his arms before running up the stairs. She watched him go, a bemused expression on her face.

"Was he flirting with me, or threatening me?" She asked, looking at us. "I can never tell with this little boy energy."

"Don't worry about him." Dani assured her. "He's just excited to meet his hero, Clutch; he's in the summer Olympics."

"Okay, girl from another planet question: what are the summer Olympics?" Skylar questioned, confused.

"Oh, they're a series of events for the world's best athletes." Chase explained. "The winner takes a gold medal, second takes silver, third takes bronze."

"Oh, we have that where I'm from too. Except on my planet they don't hand out medals." Skylar commented. "On Caldera, if you get second, they melt your bones down to build a podium for the winner."

"Remind me never to go to your planet, like, ever." I commented.

"Anyway, on our planet, the Olympics represent sport in the truest form." Calla continued. "There's pageantry, sportsmanship-"

"And super hit guys from countries I've never even heard of." I added, smirking.

"I've always wanted to compete in the Olympics, but my bionics would give me an unfair advantage." Chase sighed.

"I could arrange for you to compete on my planet." Skylar offered. Chase shook his head quickly.

"Yeah, I'm good." He assured her as Oliver ran down the stairs, dressed in a sports uniform that was about two sizes two small.

"Look, it still fits." He grinned proudly. We all exchanged looks.

"No, it doesn't." Kaz eventually told him, much to Oliver's disappointment."

** Oliver's POV **

"This is so cool." I grinned, looking around. The whole community park had been dedicated to the Olympic sendoff. Athletes were all over, signing autographs and doing demonstration, while the kids were playing games. Off to the south of the park was a barbeque set-up, obviously preparing food for the days' events. I hefted my 'Clutch's number one fan' sign over my shoulder. "Clutch is going to be here any second. Oh, I'm going to have him sign my bicep!"

"Well, let's hope he has a fine-tip pen." Dani teased. I sent her a look, but she just stuck her tongue out at me.

"Wait, so there's no piñata?" Kaz looked disappointed. He tossed his piñata stick away. "Guess I brought that for nothing."

"Look." Calla gasped. She pointed at a couple of people dressed in white, sparring with long, thin swords. "There's a fencing demonstration."

"I just threw away my stick!" Kaz protested. Chase looked at the fencers longingly.

"I wish I could compete in the Olympics so bad." He sighed. "My laser bow would have this thing locked up."

"Your laser bow would slice them in half." Bree pointed out.

"But I'd win." Chase insisted. Calla laughed and looped her arm through his and led him over to the demonstration, a smile on her face.

"I want a candy-apple." Dani said suddenly.

"Dee, it's not a carnival." I scolded.

"They're selling some over there." Kaz pointed out.

"Well, wait until after-" I stopped midsentence when Clutch walked into the park, surrounded by fans. He was 6'4, overly muscled, and pretty much everything I had wanted to be all my life. "It's Clutch! Over here, Clutch!" I shouted, trying to get the athlete's attention.

"People of Centium City, I give you Clutch!" Clutch called, earning a massive applause. Music began to blast through speakers set up in the trees. "Uh-oh, people, you know what that means! It's time for you to clap while Clutch lifts heavy things."

And so we did. He lifted a bench, a bike rack, and a hot dog cart above his head without breaking a sweat, the motion ridiculously easy for him.

"And now it's time for Clutch to meet some of his fans!" Clutch eventually announced. I grinned, trying to make my way through the crowd, but I kept being pushed back by other fans.

"He can't see me." I muttered. I looked back at Kaz and handed him my sign. "Hold my sign, would you?"

I pushed my way through the crowd, but Clutch was already moving. He swept through the crowd until he reached Kaz, Dani, and Skylar. "Hey, little buddy!" He greeted. "You must be Clutch's number one fan."

I burst through the crowd, knowing that he meant me. "Yes, I am!" I grinned. He gave me a confused look.

"Clutch was talking to the other little dude, little dude. At least this guy cared enough to make a sign." He told me. Kaz opened to his mouth to object, but Clutch continued on. "How would you like to be Clutch's honorary spotter at his weight-lifting demo?"

"Me?" Kaz looked at him, surprised.

"Yes, you." Clutch nodded. Kaz thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" He agreed.

"Kaz!" Dani looked at him. He shrugged, then began to follow Clutch through the crowd. He paused and handed me back my sign.

"Oh, here's your sign back, buddy." He offered before disappearing into the crowd of fans.

** Bree's POV **

"Check it out, there's a mini version of the Olympics for kids." Bree smiled, watching as a few little kids ran past us, carrying plastic torches.

"Sure, let's give everyone a chance to compete except for Chase." Chase grumbled. "Oh, look, there's a baby. Somebody hand him a javelin."

"Chase, there are millions of people who want to be in the Olympics who won't be." Calla reminded him. "I mean, you'd have to be someone with impressive physical abilities like- Rio and Bob?"

I followed her gaze to see two of our old friends from the academy, Rio and Bob, standing near the kids, watching with grins.

"Bob? Rio?" I walked over to them. Bob looked up at me, beaming.

"Bree!" He exclaimed happily.

"Hey guys. So this is where Davenport sent you?" Rio smiled at us sweetly.

"Why aren't you at the Academy?" Chase demanded.

"Well, we heard about this contest, and Bob and Spin wanted, and I figured they were probably going to go anyway, so someone should go with them to keep them out of trouble." Rio explained.

"Bob?" Calla looked at him for his side of the explanation.

"Well, the winner of the contest and a friend get to run with the Olympic torch." He explained. "I'm gonna win, then invite Bree to run with me, you know, because running is your thing. And, by the way. I'm fourteen now, in case you're still worried about the age difference."

"I'm worried about a lot of things, and age isn't one of them." I retorted. I looked at Rio. "You said Bon and Spin. You're short a kid."

"Oh, no. He's over at the barbeque. I saw him talking to some other kid his age, and figured he could take care of himself." Rio explained. "If he's not back in half an hour, I'll go check on him."

"Guys, first of all, does Davenport even know you snuck off the island?" Calla questioned. "And second of all, Bob, you can't compete in this contest."

"Calla's right. You have bionics; it'd be cheating." I agreed.

"But don't you see?" Bob looked at me imploringly. "We'll carry the Olympic flame, which can never be extinguished, like my love for you."

"Aww." I had to admit, it was very sweet.

"So, you in?" He asked hopefully.

"No." I replied.

** Oliver's POV **

"I can't believe Clutch chose Kaz to be his honorary spotter." I muttered, glaring at my traitorous best friend as he chatted animatedly with Clutch. Dani had long ditched us in search of something more interesting to do, leaving Skylar to listen to me. "I'm his number one fan! I should be wiping down his sweater barbells!"

"Oliver, let it go." Skylar advised, rolling her eyes. "It's not a big deal."

"It IS a big deal." I insisted. "Look, I have a secret to tell you. I've been using Clutch as motivation to help me get better with my powers." She looked surprised, but didn't say anything. "He has this catchphrase: 'Tap the power within'. Every time I feel like I can't do something, I hear Clutch in my head saying those words and it makes me want to keep going."

"Wow. I never realized how important this was to you." Skylar murmured. "You should go talk to Kaz and explain it. He'll understand."

"I can't. He's a little busy." I jerked my head at him and Clutch. The weight lifter was currently deadlifting Kaz, high above his head.

"Higher! Higher!" The boy was laughing, amused.

** Bree's POV **

"Hey, Dani." Calla and I greeted as the short haired girl walked over to us. "I thought you were hanging with Skylar and the guys?"

"Well, judging by the atmosphere, Ollie and Kaz are probably going to get in a fight over a weightlifter who speaks in the third person, so I figured I'd come over to avoid being forced to pick a side." She explained. She glanced at Rio. "Oh, hi. I'm Dani."

"Rio Daniels." Rio shook her hand. "You're the superhero, right?"

Dani glanced at us, then nodded slowly. "Oh, don't worry," I assured her, "Rio's bionic."

"Oh, cool." Dani grinned. She looked around. "No Chase?"

"He went to help Bob look for Spin." Calla explained, just as a voice came on over the intercom system in the park.

"Our next competitor in the Mini Olympics shotput event, Bob!" We all looked up in surprise, then looked over to where the shotput event was taking place. Sure enough, Bob was standing where the competitors were, a large, heavy-looking, silver ball in his hand. He held it up to his shoulder, then pushed forward without much effort, and the ball flew over the trees, landing somewhere in the park. People began to applaud, while Bob looked around in confusion.

"Is that good?" The blonde-haired boy asked. "I-I honestly have no idea what I'm doing."

"Bob!" I called, running up to him, the other girls at my heels. "What is going on here? I thought we told you that you couldn't compete in the Mini Olympics because you're bionic."

"I know, but my new coach told me it was okay." He reasoned.

"What new coach?" Rio questioned, frowning. Suddenly, Chase stormed out of the crowd, Spin grinning at his heels.

"Bob!" He scolded. "No talking to lookie-loos. Focus, man. Focus!"

We all exchanged looks. "Chase, honey," Calla looked at him sweetly, "what the hell are you up to this time?"

"Well, since I can't compete in the real Olympics, running with the torch is the closest I'll ever get." He explained. "And since Bree so rudely turned Bob down, I stepped in. I'm gonna run with the torch!"

"No, you're not." I reminded him. "It's cheating."

"Technically, it isn't." Chase smirked. "You see, the real Olympics have very strict rules, but since this is just a rinky-dink challenge for kids, the only rule is 'have fun'."

"Which means Bob can compete." Rio realized. Chase nodded, still smirking.

"Okay, well, it may not be cheating, but it's still not fair." I pointed out. "All these kids, they wanna win, and you're crushing their dreams."

"Yeah, but I'm still gonna run with the torch!" Chase reminded us before beginning to prep Bob for the next event.

** Oliver's POV **

I grinned, standing in the crowd with Skylar as Clutch addressed the crowd once more. "Fans of Centium City! Today, Clutch is going to do something he's never done before!"

"Refer to himself in something other than the third person?" Skylar muttered under her breath.

"Today, Clutch is going to break his own weight lifting record." Clutch continued, gesturing to a massive barbell nearby. The crowd cooed in awe. "Five hundred pounds on this side and five hundred pounds on that side. Together that's…" He paused, thinking, "…five hundred pounds twice."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Kaz asked the obvious question.

"Of course it's dangerous." Clutch looked at him like he was an idiot. "But as my number one fan, you should know that Clutch always taps the power within. For Clutch, nothing is impossible, except crossword puzzles."

"Then what do I do as your spotter?" Kaz asked, frowning.

"Clutch doesn't really need a spotter." Clutch replied. "Clutch is the strongest man on Earth. You just need to stand there and watch the awesomeness that is Clutch."

"He just worked in fourteen 'Clutches' in three minutes." Skylar muttered, shaking her head before sarcastically adding, "Very impressive."

"Okay, people! Its Clutch Time!" He declared. He stepped towards the barbell, bent down, and gripped the bar tightly. He slowly lifted it onto his shoulders, then about half a foot above his head. But it soon became obvious that he was struggling to keep the bar up.

"Oliver, something's wrong." Skylar hissed.

"Clutch…needs…help…!" Clutch gasped, eyes darting to Kaz in his desperation.

"Kaz, do something!" I snapped. He shook his head helplessly, his eyes wide.

"He said I didn't have to do anything. I can't lift that much." He told me. I looked at Clutch, then made a split second decision.

"I'm coming, big guy!" I shouted, racing up behind him and taking the barbell from him, relieving him of the weight. I held the bar high, giving Clutch plenty of time to recover.

"How are you doing that?" He demanded, staring at me.

"Oh, right, sorry. I'm bionic." I explained. "Oliver, nice to meet you."

I dropped the barbell without thinking, extending my hand to shake his. However, the 500 lbs. weight landed directly on Clutch's foot. He screamed in pain, jumping up and down on his good foot when I removed the weight. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" I exclaimed. "What have I done?"

"Well, at least he knows who you are now." Kaz offered, trying to be helpful.

** Xxx **

"I'm the worst fan ever." I cried, pacing around the living room. After Clutch had been taken away in the ambulance, Skylar, Kaz, and I had come back to the Penthouse, unwilling to face the dozens of furious fans. Hell, even the camera guys who'd been filming the event looked angry at me. "I dropped hundreds of pounds on Clutch and shattered every bone in his foot."

"Don't sell yourself short." Kaz told me, smirking. "You also broke his ankle."

"Not funny, Kaz." Skylar advised.

"I know." Kaz agreed. He looked at me. "Dude, what were you thinking?"

"Me?" I stared at him. "You knew Clutch was my hero! This never would've happened if you hadn't stolen him away from me!"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? You're right." Kaz apologized. "I got swept up in the moment. It's his muscles; they get me every time."

"The worst part is I let my hero down." I sighed.

"No, the worst part is, you let him down on live television." Kaz corrected. "I mean, who knows how many people were watching that."

"I wish there was something I could do." I sighed, collapsing onto the couch. Skylar stood up, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Maybe there is. Be right back." She sped away using her super speed, only to return a second later, along with Clutch, the injured hero sitting in a wheelchair with heavy bandages surrounding his foot. His legs and arms were tied together, preventing him from moving.

"You abducted Clutch from the hospital?" I demanded, staring at Skylar. She smiled.

"You're welcome." She told me cheerfully.

** Bree's POV **

"Where are we going?" Zoe asked as Calla and I led her over to Rio and Dani.

"You are going to help us with something, alright?" Rio smiled at her.

"Hey, boys!" Dani called over to Chase, Bob, and Spin. She jerked her head at us, motioning for them to come over.

"Hey guys," I smiled. I patted Zoe's shoulders. "Say hello to Zoe. You know, she really wants to win the mini Olympics, but since you guys are playing unfair, she needs a little help. So we're going to coach her."

"You are?" Spin looked surprised.

"Yep." Dani smirked. "Since you're using your bionics, we're going to use our abilities to make sure that you don't win."

"Isn't that right, Zoe?" Rio smiled.

"I don't even know you guys. I'm supposed to be doing this with my dad." Zoe explained. She pointed at me and Calla. "They just dragged me over here."

"Well, you wanna win, right?" Calla questioned. Zoe nodded. "Then I saw we show them some serious girl power."

"Okay." Zoe grinned widely before approaching Bob. "I'm gonna kick your butt."

Bob gulped, a frightened look on his face, then turned to Chase. "Chase, I'm nervous. Girl power saves me."

"Next up for the long jump is Bob!" The announcer declared just then. Bob moved to stand a few feet away from a sandpit.

"Alright Bob, just remember to use your super strength to push off." Chase advised. Bob nodded, then leapt into the air, but instead of trying to jump as far as he could, he dropped into the sandpit, curling up in a ball mid-air.

"Cannonball!" He shouted, as he crashed into the sandpit. He looked around in confusion, surprised to see that most of the sand in the pit had flew out of it when he landed. "Hey, what happened to all the sand?"

** xxx **

"Next up, we have Zoe!" The announcer proclaimed.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do." Calla whispered her plan in my ear before turning to Zoe. "Alright, kid, just try to keep your legs out in front of you, and Bree's going to do the rest with her invisibility app."

"You ready?" Rio checked. Zoe nodded.

"Let's do this." She walked over to the starting line. She took a deep breath, then ran towards the pit as fast as she could. She leapt into the air, and I turned invisible. I raced forward and grabbed her arms, keeping her in the air as I walked her forward, making it look like she hadn't finished her jump. I eventually placed her down, a few feet away from the sandpit, making her the clear winner.

"You did it!" Dani cheered loudly as Zoe touched down. I stepped back and turned visible again, after making sure that no one was watching me.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Chase accused.

"I though the only rule was to have fun." Rio reminded him.

"And we're having a blast." I added, crossing my arms with a smirk.

"Come on, Zoe. You deserve some lunch." Calla declared.

"See you later, Sandman!" Zoe called over her shoulder before following us towards the barbeque.

** Oliver's POV **

"Get Clutch out of here! What is wrong with you people?" Clutch demanded, staring at us like we were psychotic crazy people, and honestly, I couldn't blame him.

"Why would you bring him here?" I turned on Skylar, staring at her.

"I wanted to give you the chance to redeem yourself." She explained, a little surprised by my reaction.

"So you kidnapped him by force?" Kaz looked at her incredulously.

"Well, I tried asking nicely, but he said no. So then I had to ask him to come not so nicely." She gave the athlete a glare.

"Clutch is not having a good day." He muttered.

"You said no regular doctor could fix him. So, I figured why not try some of your old medical devices from Mighty Med." Skylar explained.

"But Clutch isn't a superhero! I wouldn't even know where to start." I shook my head. "I can't do this. We have to take him back to the hospital."

"You're not even going to try?" Kaz looked at me skeptically.

"That's not the Oliver I know." Skylar agreed. She gave me a pointed look. "The Oliver I know would do everything he can to help someone he cares about."

I nodded and gave her a grateful smile. "You're right, I gotta do it, for my hero."

Meanwhile, Clutch was trying to escape all on my own. We turned just in time to see him accidently tip his wheelchair over and crash to the ground with a pained groan. Kaz watched from a foot away. "I am a terrible spotter." He chuckled, shaking his head.

** Bree's POV **

"After four events, our two finalists for the Mini Olympics are Zoe and Bob! The deciding event is a one mile race around the park!" The announcer declared. I looked over at the two kids and smirked at what I saw. Bob had previously been stretching, readying himself for the race, but when Zoe outdid him by sliding in the splits along the ground, perfectly comfortable in that position, he had given up.

"Hey, guys? Can we call a truce?" Chase said suddenly. We all looked at him. "Look, both sides have used our bionics to our advantage in the past events, so what do you say if, in the spirit of sportsmanship, we make this one fair?"

"You're only saying that because it's a race and you know I'm going to use my super speed to help Zoe win." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I threw in that stuff about sportsmanship, so it's kinda legit." Chase shrugged.

"I agree with him. Not about it being legit," Calla rolled her eyes, "but why not let the kids win on their own this time? No cheating for them."

"No way!" I refused.

"Fine. Go ahead and use your super speed since you obviously think that Zoe can't win on her own." Chase retorted.

"Hey, I can win on my own!" Zoe retorted, storming over to us.

"Oh, really? Because your coaches don't seem to think so!" Spin teased. Zoe looked at us, confused.

"You don't?" She asked, hurt.

"Of course we do." Rio quickly reassured her.

"Which is why none of us are going to use our bionics to help either of you." I added reluctantly, glaring harshly at my brother. He, on the other hand, smirked.

"Okay, guys, if you insist." He replied, walking away with Bob.

"You can do this, okay?" Calla patted Zoe's shoulder before moving off the track to join the crowd. Both of the kids got ready for the race. Chase took this as a chance to give Bob another pep talk.

"Alright Bob, remember what I told you." He said to the blonde haired boy. Bob nodded.

"Keep asking Bree out because it's funny?" He asked. I shook my head at Chase's antics, annoyed.

"No, Bob, 'pace yourself." Chase corrected. He paused. "But yes, you should definitely keep asking her out."

"Chase!" I snapped. He looked at me and smirked, then walked to the other side of the track to watch Bob.

"Alright, runners!" The announcer's voice came on over the intercom. "Get ready, get set…go!"

Both of them took off, running down the path while we cheered them on, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. We were starting to get some weird looks from some of the spectators, after all.

** Xxx **

A little while later, after moving to the other end of the park, I saw Zoe running far ahead of Bob. "Girl power!" "Go Zoe!" "You got this!" Dani, Rio, Calla, and I all cheered. Spin let out a frustrated groan as he watched his friend run past us, several meters behind Zoe.

"Run, Bob, run!" He shouted as Chase scowled.

"There's no way he can catch up." He muttered. "I've got to do something."

"No!" Calla caught his hand. "We had a deal. We said no using bionics to help our kid win."

"Yes, but we never said anything about using our bionics to make sure the other kid doesn't win."

He didn't wait for her response, instead racing off in the direction of the finish line, Spin hot on his heels. We all exchanged looks, then tore off after them. No way were we going to let them win.

** Xxx **

When we finally reached the finish line, Zoe had just broke out of the trees, a few feet away from the line. She grinned upon seeing it, and made a dash towards it. "I don't think so!" Chase snapped, raising his hands. Suddenly, Zoe stopped, a confused look on her face as she stared down at her shoes.

"I can't move!" She cried. It took me a split second to realize that he was using his telekinesis to stop her. I was about to stop Chase, but then I saw Bob coming up behind her. He ran past her, towards the finish line, but I couldn't let that happen. I sped forward, zooming Bob back several feet.

"Hey, how did I get back here?" He asked, confused. Spin glared, then sped towards me, spinning, but Dani and Calla each grabbed one of his arms and hoisted him off the ground, leaving his feet kicking in the air.

"No fair, guys!" He exclaimed. Chase tried to make us let go of Spin and Bob, but Rio got to him first. It wasn't long before we were busy fighting each other, Zoe and Bob long forgotten.

We were too busy focusing on each other, we didn't see the two kids break out from behind us and race towards the finish line. In fact, we hadn't even realized they were gone until the announcer's voice hit out ears. "And the winner is Bob!"

"Bob?" Calla repeated, looking over. Chase pulled away from me and jumped for joy.

"I won! The torch is mine!" He declared, snatching the torch away from the girl trying to give it to Bob. He held it up high in victory, only for Bob to steal it away from him.

"Give me that! I don't want to run with you." He told him. We all stopped, surprised.

"You don't?" Chase asked. Spin grinned.

"Well, obviously he wants to run with me." He smirked up at Chase cockily.

"No, I don't." Bob insisted. He turned around and offered the torch to Zoe. "You should run with your dad."

"Really?" Zoe questioned, sounding skeptical. Bob nodded.

"You're the only one who played fair." He reasoned. "And besides, I've decided to retire on top and never run again."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his logic. "Fine by me." Zoe shrugged and ran off towards her father.

"I am so proud of you, Bob." Rio smiled at him. "You did the right thing. You know, this is sportsmanship at its finest."

"Hey, guys!" Zoe ran back to us, a smile on her face. She looked at Spin and Bob. "My dad's going to take me out for ice cream to celebrate. Do you wanna come with?"

"Sure." The boys exchanged looks and followed her. Rio gave us an apologetic look.

"I should probably go with them, make sure we all get back to the Academy before Davenport comes to check in. Kieran can only cover for us for so long."

"It was really good to see you." I hugged her. She hugged me back. "Say hey to Adam for us."

"I will." She hugged Chase, then Calla. "Congratulations, by the way. Everyone's so happy for you guys."

"Thanks Rio." "Bye." We all waved as she trailed after the boys.

** Oliver's POV **

"Ugh!" I hit the cyberdesk in frustration with one hand, tossing away another piece of medical equipment with the other. We hadn't be able to recover much of the tech from Mighty Med, and none of it appeared to be useful in helping fix Clutch's foot. "We've tried every piece of medical equipment left over from Mighty Med, and nothing has worked. I knew I couldn't fix him."

"We still have this industrial brain drill." Kaz offered, holding up the tool. Clutch looked at it, then gulped.

"That's it, Clutch is calling the police." He decided. He looked over at Skylar. "Can Clutch borrow your phone?"

"Alright, I don't want any of this coming down on you two, so I'll take the fall." I decided. "I guess from now on I'll just have to 'tap the power within' my prison cell."

"Oliver…" Skylar began, but my mind was already racing.

"Tap the power within." I murmured to myself. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Kaz questioned, looking at me closely.

"My cryo-blast! Injured athletes use cryo-therapy all the time." I explained. "They expose their bodies to extremely cold temperatures in order to stimulate muscle fibers and joints."

"Yeah, Dee told me about that a while ago." Kaz remembered. "It speeds up the healing process."

"Exactly." I agreed.

"Oliver, that's a great idea." Skylar smiled. I nodded at her.

"Thanks." I nodded at her. "Now, this is a much more concentrated version, but I think it can work."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Skylar shrugged. "It could freeze every bone in his foot and shatter them like icicles?"

"What?" Clutch looked at her, a little panicked.

"Or it could give him sever frostbite, in which case the entire foot would have to be removed." Kaz reasoned.

"What?" Clutch stared at him, really freaked out.

"Do it, Oliver." Skylar nodded at me. I raised my hand, turning the palm towards Clutch's foot.

"Okay, here goes." I announced.

"No, wait!" Clutch tried to stop me, but I was determined to fix my mistake. I blasted his ankle with a less-powerful blast of my cryoblast. "Clutch cold!"

I used my blast for a couple of seconds more, then backed away. "Kaz, use your fire powers to defrost him." I ordered, nodding at the ice surrounding his ankle.

Kaz raised his hand and created a stream of fire that came very close to Clutch's foot. Not enough to burn him, but enough to melt the ice. "Clutch hot." The athlete complained. Kaz continued on for a little while longer, then stopped the flame and backed away.

Clutch stood up, then tried to put weight on his injured foot. When that caused him no pain, he tried tapping dancing. He stopped abruptly, staring at me in shock. "You fix Clutch!" He exclaimed. He put his hand on my shoulder, then pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "Little dude, you are Clutch's hero."

"Clutch!" I gasped as his hug literally cracked my bones. "You're crushing the power within."

** Xxx **

"This is so cool." I grinned, trying not to bounce up and down in excitement. "I can't believe you're actually going to sign my bicep."

I held up my arm for him to sign, but he looked at it and shook his head. "Clutch is going to need a fine tip pen."

"I got it." Skylar offered, heading to get one from the desk in the corner. Just then, the doors to the penthouse opened up, and Calla, Chase, Bree, and Dani walked in.

"Hey, guys, remember Clutch?" Kaz called to them. Dani looked at him, then at the others.

"Okay, when I said they were fighting over him, I didn't think one of them would take him home." She told them quickly.

"Hey Clutch ." Chase greeted before leaning in close. "Why is he in our house?"

"Well, Oliver shattered his foot, and then Skylar abducted him from the hospital. Then we fixed him I our top secret command center where no one's ever supposed to go. How was your day?"

"Great. We used our bionics to crush the dreams of innocent children." Bree replied eagerly.

"We really are an Elite Force." Calla sighed, smiling softly.


	9. The Intruder

** Chase's POV **

"Here you go." I handed Calla a glass of lemonade before sitting down at the table. Since it was nice out, Skylar had had the idea of eating outside. The twins were still in the kitchen, preparing their meals, while the rest of us were sitting around the table on the veranda. Well, most of us.

"Kaz, buddy, you don't have to eat on the floor." I looked at the pyrokinetic kneeling on the ground. "There's plenty of room over here."

"I'm not eating on the floor. I'm preparing my food on the floor." He explained, standing up and holding out a leaf rake, hot dog wieners on each of the spokes.

"Ooh, my favorite! Hot dogs on a rake!" Oliver beamed, walking out onto the veranda. He dropped his plate onto the table with a clatter, then took the rake from Kaz. He bent down and began to turn the rake slowly in a circle, while Kaz used his powers to blast fire at the wieners, cooking them.

"Guys!" Dani exclaimed, stepping out of the kitchen. She gave them both a stern look. "No!"

"Vegetarian to the rescue." Bree joked.

"You're disgusting." Dani told them, sitting down between Bree and Calla. "Seriously."

"I'm with her on that one." Bree agreed, shaking her head as Kaz removed the hot dogs off the rake and placed them on a plate. "I didn't think it was possible, but you actually made tubes of random animal parts even more disgusting."

"That's a matter of opinion." Oliver insisted, taking a bite of one of the cooked hot dogs. He grimaced, then pulled a leaf out of his mouth. "Ew. Wet leaf."

"You do know that I just used that rake to clean the gutters, right?" Skylar questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You can taste yesterday's rain." Oliver hummed before taking another bite of the hot dog.

"You boys are so ridiculous." Calla shook her head. "Your powers are a gift. You shouldn't be wasting them on trivial things."

"You're just jealous because you don't have any." Oliver teased her.

"No, Calla's right. You're always using your powers when you don't have to." Skylar agreed. "Yesterday, Oliver flew across the street just to go to the grocery store."

"That was an emergency!" Kaz defended his best friend. "We were out of Tofu Pops."

"And you know what, for your information, girls are just as bad." Oliver agreed. Kaz nodded.

"Yeah. Yesterday, when Mr. Davenport called, Bree used her vocal manipulation to pretend to be me." Kaz accused, pointing at Bree.

"Okay, calm down. All I said was," Bree switched on her vocal manipulation, using Kaz's voice, " _'Bree's not here. Stop calling, old man._ '"

"So you made me look bad?" Kaz demanded. Bree nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much." She agreed. "And yes, I occasionally use bionics to make my life easier. But I can stop whenever I want; you guys are the ones that have no control."

"Oh really? Well, then," Kaz smirked, "I propose a challenge, guys versus girls, to see who can go the longest using bionic abilities or superpowers."

"Last man or woman standing wins." Bree decided, standing up. Kaz held his hand out in the middle of the table, and Bree put hers on top to signify that she was taking part. "You're on."

"I'm in." I grinned, placing my hand on top of hers.

"Sounds fun." Dani grinned, putting her hand in the middle.

"Agreed." Skylar nodded, placing her hand on top of the pile. Oliver placed his on top of hers.

"I just wanted to touch Skylar's hand." He admitted.

"Hey, Calla, you want to ref?" Skylar suggested, trying not to leave my fiancé out of the contest.

"No thanks. I can see where this is going, and I'm not going to be responsible for stopping you guys from taking this way out of hand." She shook her head. "I'm just going to sit back and watch things go to hell."

"You ladies are going down." I taunted them. "I mean, when you calculate the statistical odds of how long each of us can last, the guys have a 72.74% chance of winning."

"Interesting." Calla smirked, then glanced at Bree. My sister nodded, smirking as well.

"And how exactly did you calculate those odds?" She asked. Oh, right.

"Yeah, I'm out." I admitted, sitting back down. The girls all laughed, while Kaz and Oliver both gave me a disappointed look.

** Xxx **

"What about that third one? It wasn't bad." I suggested as Calla and I walked into the lab. She shrugged.

"I don't know. It was kind of…well, ugly." She replied. "And there's nowhere for a DJ, and there's no dance floor or anything."

"True." I agreed. I nodded at Douglas, who was working on the cyberdesk. "Hey Douglas."

"Hey kids. How'd the wedding venue search go?" He asked, glancing up from the cyberdesk.

"There's no decent places in Centium City. At all." Calla complained.

"We could go back home and do it there." I suggested. She looked up, contemplating it. "We could do it at the Academy, or on the beach."

"That sounds cool." She smiled. She looked at Douglas. "So, what are you doing?"

"Looking for a place nearby to grab a nice macaroon." He replied. Calla and I exchanged amuse smirks. "Hey! Just because I'm a little rough around the edges doesn't mean I can't enjoy a sophisticated treat."

"Whatever you say, Dougy." Calla smiled, shaking her head.

"Anyway, Chase, you need to be more careful. It's your job to secure this place, and you left that rock wall open last night." Douglas pointed to the rock wall that led to a series of tunnels under the building.

"What? No I didn't." I shook my head, confused. "I locked down the entire perimeter before I went to bed last night."

"Well, I was the first one down here this morning, and it was wide open." Douglas informed me.

"Hold on." Calla sat down at one of the consols near the cyberdesk. "Let me bring up the security footage from last night." She typed a few things into the computer, then paused, frowning. She looked up at me, her brow furrowed. "Someone's wiped it."

"I bet it was Roman and Riker." I realized. But how had they gotten in here without us knowing?

"Nothing else has been touched." Calla began typing quickly, searching the system for any record of them going through it. "If they broke in here, it'd be for The List, but it hasn't been accessed since last week."

Before I could respond, we heard the sound of footsteps in the tunnel. Knowing that the rest of the team were upstairs, I knew it had to be our intruder. Calla and Douglas both swiped their weapons off nearby shelves, while I prepared to attack. The rock wall slid open, but instead of Roman or Riker, there stood a little boy, maybe ten at the most, with dark, curly hair, and dark eyes that widened when he saw the weapons in Douglas and Calla's hands.

"Who are you?" I demanded as Calla lowered her weapon.

"My name's AJ." He explained, still eying Douglas warily. "I live a floor below you guys."

"Dude," Calla pushed Douglas's weapon away from AJ. "You gonna drop the weapon, or are you really afraid of a little kid?"

"Right." Douglas put the weapon away, placing it on the consol before looking at AJ. "Why haven't we seen you before?"

"I like to keep to myself. A man of mystery, if you will." AJ explained, making his way into the lab. "But I know all about you guys, The Elite Force." He struck a pose similar to the one Kaz did every time someone said our team's name.

We exchanged looks. Great, some little kid knew our secret. "How did you even get down here? It's surrounded by walls of solid rock."

"Well, I was checking on the building's energy consumption, and I noticed an unusually high drain coming from below the building." AJ began to explain.

"Wait, you check on the building's energy consumption?" Douglas questioned. The kid nodded.

"Of course. Gotta keep tabs on all the over-users. The future is green, man." He smiled widely. "Anyway, I used a structural-entometer to scan the area and locate the room. Then I cracked the security code and I've been coming here ever since."

"Ever since?" I repeated. "How often do you come here?"

He chuckled. "A lot more than you'd like." He responded. Calla cracked a smile, obviously amused by him, as he continued, "My parents work a lot, so I figured why hang out at home when I can hang here with all this cool technology. I just had to copy your online calendar so I'd know when to slip in undetected, and make sure to turn off your AI before she could rat me out."

"You copied our calendar?" I was surprised that he could do that without being caught.

"Yeah. Which reminds me," he turned to Douglas, "aren't you supposed to be at a dentist appointment right now?"

"He rescheduled it so he could sleep in." Calla explained. I looked at her.

"Why are you telling him that?" I asked. She shrugged.

"C'mon, Chase. I mean, I know we should be upset by the massive security breach, but I like this little guy." She explained. I rolled my eyes. Of course she would like the kid who broke into our home on a regular basis.

"Alright, time for you to go." I ushered AJ back to the tunnel. "And I'm changing all the passwords so this doesn't happen again."

"Bye AJ." Douglas told the kid. AJ sighed.

"Fine, I'll go." He agreed reluctantly. "But just so you know, I have a photographic memory which means that the schedule's up here too." He tapped his forehead meaningfully.

"Good to know." I shut the rock wall door on him, and turned back to Douglas and Calla. The latter smiled.

"You know, I have the feeling that we haven't seen the last of him." She declared.

** Skylar's POV **

"Guys!" Oliver burst into the Penthouse, grinning ear to ear. Bree and I had been playing chess, while Dani and Kaz played Rocket League on their PS4. "You'll never believe who I saw in the front of our building! Harry Styles from One Direction!"

Bree let out an excited scream, speeding out of the penthouse in the blink of an eye. She was back a second later, a distraught, heart-shattering looking on her face. "He wasn't there." She cried.

"Ha! That's because he's actually in Brisbane, Australia, where he has a concert tonight before heading back to England for some much needed R&R from his overly hectic schedule!" Oliver exclaimed. Dani looked at him.

"Why do you know that?" She asked, shaking her head.

"You used your super speed!" Kaz exclaimed, punching the air. "You're out of the contest!"

"That was low." Bree glowered at Oliver hatefully

"Nobody said you couldn't play dirty." He reminded her.

"Yeah, and now it's two against two." Kaz smirked.

"That's how it is? Fine." Bree's face set into a look of determination. "But just because I'm out, doesn't mean I can't help my girls win."

"We don't need your help-" Dani began.

"This is not about you, it's about me." Bree cut her off.

** Chase's POV **

"So, I've upgraded the entire Mission Command security system." I announced, walking into the main part of Mission Command. Douglas was still at the cyberdesk, while Calla was on the consol, looking at a set of blueprints. "And there's no need to remember passwords anymore because I had MISS change everything to vocal recognition. There is absolutely no way that kid's getting back in here."

Suddenly, the rock wall to Calla's right opened up and AJ walked through, grinning. "That's a sick weapons area you've got back behind the rock wall. I can see why you'd want to keep people out of it."

"You were saying?" Calla questioned, not looking away from the blueprints.

"You know," Douglas hummed thoughtfully, "if the smartest man in the world is in charge of security, and that kid got past it, doesn't that make him the smartest man in the world?"

Calla, Douglas, and AJ all chuckled at the thought. I glared at Douglas, annoyed. "Well, I mean, you created me, so technically, that would make it your failure." I said coolly. The smile fell from his face.

"Alright, AJ, time for you to go." Calla sighed, getting up.

"Wait." He refused to move. "I came back to off you a proposition. You said this place is only for members of the Elite Force. But I know a lot about you guys, and I think I can be an asset. I want to join the team."

I laughed, amused. "Sorry kid, I don't think they make missions suits in extra small."

"Yours are extra-" Douglas began, but I cut him off.

"Only the pants!" I snapped.

"Look, I may only be ten, but I'm good with computers, I know every street in this city, and well…" AJ looked at me pointedly. "It's glaringly obvious that you need help with the security system. I mean, having an AI do all of it? You might as well leave me a key under the mat."

"He might have a point." Calla said slowly. I looked at her.

"Calla's right. It would be good to have a pair of fresh eyes around here, pointing out our weaknesses, making us up our game." Douglas nodded.

"And he IS good with computers. I'm good with engineering and technology, but in order for him to shut MISS down and turn her back on without her, or us, ever having a clue that someone had accessed her system? That takes serious coding skills. Like, my level coding skills." Calla pointed out. "He's young, but he's good at what he does, and having someone who knows the city better than a GPS might give us an advantage in the future."

"No. We don't need him." I denied it.

"I think you do." AJ pointed out. "And to prove it, let's make a deal. If I can get back in here, I'm on the team."

"Fine." He wouldn't get back in here anyway, so I had nothing to worry about. "Deal."

He held out his hand and I shook it, confirming the deal. "Your hands are sweaty." He observed with a smirk. "Nervous?"

"No!" I pulled my hand away. "They're naturally clammy!"

** Skylar's POV **

"Ah, hello old friend." Dani and I turned around on the couch to see Kaz looking at a piece of toast adoringly. "What do you say we get some butter and make this a party?"

"You guys need a room?" Dani inquired loudly. Kaz looked at her and was about to reply when the toast was suddenly pulled out of his hands and into the air. Bree turned visible to reveal that it was she who stole the toast from him.

"You know what's funny? I don't even like toast." She commented before taking a massive bite out of it. She chewed it for a moment, then added, "But because it's yours,, it's delicious."

"Dude, not cool." Kaz told her, shaking his head just as Oliver came down the stairs.

"Hey, Oliver." I stood up and looked at him hopefully. "It's really hot, and I don't think the AC is working. Would you mind using your cryoblast to cool me off?"

He grinned widely. "You don't know how long I've waited for you to ask me that."

He raised his hands to cool her off with a blast of cold air, but Kaz quickly stopped him. "Dude, no! She's trying to get you to use your powers so you'll lose the contest!"

Oliver looked at me to confirm whether or not it was true. "Who, me?" I tried to play dumb, but he knew better than that.

"This is how you treat me?" He questioned, hurt.

"Hey, Ollie?" Dani spoke up. "Can I borrow your phone for a moment? I lost mine again."

"Yeah, here." He pulled the phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. She beamed and started walking out onto the veranda, the phone held high in the air. "Where are you going?"

"Just trying to find better reception." She hummed. We all looked at each other, knowing that she was up to something, then followed her out onto the veranda. She reached the edge of the veranda and leaned over the wall, reaching out. Then, she dropped the phone. "Oops." She said, a smirk on her face.

Oliver stared at her for a long moment, before rushing past the rest of us, and leaping over the edge of the veranda. "No, no!" Kaz shouted as Oliver fell for his sister's plan.

"Two against one." Bree smirked, giving Dani a high five. Oliver flew back onto the veranda, his phone in his hand.

"Not cool, Dani." He told his sister. She smiled sweetly at him.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked mockingly. He raised an eyebrow, thought about it, then smirked.

"Two can play at this game." He decided before flying back into the air. He disappeared from our line of sight, but a few moments later, we heard a loud thud from upstairs.

"Did he just climb through our window?" Bree questioned, trying to locate where the sounds of Oliver rummaging through things were coming from. A moment later, before any of us could go investigate, the noises stopped.

Oliver flew back into our line of view, a little ways away from the tower, carrying a grey and white bundle in his arms. I looked at him, confused, for a moment, before Dani gasped. "Katy." She whispered, staring at Oliver in horror. "Ollie, don't!"

"You'll catch her!" He called, dropping the mass in his hands. Dani didn't even hesitate, diving off the penthouse to catch it. Oliver dropped onto the veranda next to us.

"You tried to kill her pet?" Bree stared at him, aghast. He chuckled, then grabbed a box of cat treats off the counter. He shook it, and Katy came racing down the stairs, the grey and white cat stopping at Oliver's feet, staring at him with big, hungry eyes. "What?"

"Oliver Mathew Short!" Dani shouted, landing on the veranda. A grey and white stuffed animal was clutched in her hands. "That was not funny!"

"It worked, didn't it?" He challenged. "One against one now."

Dani stared at him, shaking her head, her eyes lit up with anger. She bent down and scooped the real Katy up in her arms, petting her gently while holding her close.

"Why do you even have a toy stuffed cat?" I questioned, looking at him.

"Uh…" He froze. "It's a long story. You don't want to know."

"I'll take your word for it." I decided.

** Chase's POV **

"You were right." I commented to Douglas, taking a bite of the small, cake-like pasty. "These macaroons were right."

"I've never doubted your taste in food, Dougy." Calla agreed, swiping another off the plate as she worked on her laptop.

"You're welcome." Douglas replied.

"Alright." I announced. "Last but not least, our online calendar is secure." I announced, smirking proudly. "It'd take two years of decoding for any outsider to even see when my birthday is."

"It's June 1st, right?" Douglas questioned. Calla and I both looked at him.

"August 5th." I corrected. "But close, Dad."

"Alright, enough." Calla cut in as Douglas was about to retort. She glanced at the clock on her laptop. "Okay, it's been twelve hours, and no sign of AJ. Can we take a break and get some real dinner now?"

"Twelve hours?" I grinned. "I've successfully locked him out." I got up and walked over to cyberdesk and began to press buttons. "No one makes a fool of Chase Davenport and gets away with it! No one!"

"Chase, what are you doing?" Calla questioned as the rock walls all slid open.

"Deactivating the security system I worked so hard to perfect." I explained, frowning as I did so.

"Why?" Douglas asked. I tried to stop, but for some reason, my fingers kept deactivating them, even putting our calendar back to public view.

"I don't know." I replied looking at them, confused. "My mind is telling me to do it even though I don't want to. Also, I'm proud to announce that I am the dumbest man in the world!"

We were all confused as to why I said that last bit – obviously, it wasn't true – but then AJ walked in from the tunnel, laughing. There was an IPad in his hands, held loosely as he chuckled.

"What did you do?" Calla demanded, awe-struck.

"You could sound a little more annoyed and a little less amazed, Calla!" I exclaimed. She nodded.

"I could." She agreed before turning to AJ with a grin. "Seriously. What did you do?"

"I reprogrammed Chase's bionic chip so I could control it." He explained proudly.

"You what?" I demanded. AJ laughed out loud.

"That's right." He nodded. "I didn't have to break into Mission Command; I broke into you."

"I'm really impressed that you tapped into my chip. You are so much smarter than me!" I exclaimed, despite myself. My eyes widened as the words passed my lips. I began to applaud him. "Stop making me stay stuff! And stop making me clap!"

"Fine!" AJ sighed and let me stop clapping. But a moment later, I found myself dancing, all types of dances from a jig to ballet. All the while, Calla and Douglas were barely containing their owns laughs.

"Stop encouraging him!" I exclaimed, desperate. "This is a major security breach!"

"Yes, yes it is." Calla smiled before turning to AJ. "Okay, we had our fun. Now knock it off."

"Fine." AJ pressed another button and I stopped dancing, but almost immediately, the IPad flew out of his hands and hit me in the chest, sticking to it like a magnet.

"Ow!" I complained, looking down at the IPad in confusion. Suddenly, several of the metal objects in the room, including a tool box, a coffee mug, and the keyboard to Douglas' computer, flew at me, hit me hard and sticking to me. "Ow! Guys? What's going on?"

"When AJ tapped into your chip, he must have caused a glitch." Calla realized. "Your magnetism app has gone haywire."

"Uh oh." I looked over at Douglas and saw that his arm was outstretched, his multiple metal bracelets shaking on the limb. "It's a heavy bracelet day."

I gasped as he suddenly stumbled forward, hitting me in the throat with his arm. I coughed, wincing from the jab to my throat.

"See, this is why kids shouldn't play with technology." Douglas sighed, shaking his head.

** Skylar's POV **

"Hey Kaz," Everyone in the room looked up as Bree walked down the stairs, carrying a backpack. She smiled at us before walking out onto the veranda.

"Oh no." Kaz untangled himself from Dani and the blankets on the couch and ran after her, Oliver followed him out onto the veranda, while Dani and I watched from inside the kitchen. Bree pulled a cell phone out of the backpack. "Not my cell phone."

"Oops." Bree casually tossed it off the veranda. Kaz gulped, but stood his ground, refusing to move. "Aren't you going to fly down and go get it?"

"Nah, it's good." You could hear his voice shake slightly. "I've been meaning to get back into letter writing."

"Oh, okay." Bree shrugged, as if she'd been expecting such a response. Dani and I exchanged looks, then watched as Bree pulled a pair of shoes out of the backpack, discarding the bag by throwing it over the edge. "Look what else I have."

"My brand new, limited edition high tops?" Kaz's eyes went wide. I saw him physically flinch when Bree threw them off the balcony. "Oops."

Kaz was breathing heavy as he forced himself to not fly after the shoes. "Please stop." He begged her, his voice strained.

"Oh, I am just getting started." Bree grinned, obviously having far too much fun with this. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back up to your room and throw out all your clothes. That's right; it's going to be raining tighty-whiteys!"

She walked back into the Penthouse, past us, and practically skipped up the stairs towards the boys rooms. "I forgot how competitive she is." Dani murmured, a small smile on her face. I looked back out the window at the boys.

"Bree is a she-devil." Kaz declared, turning to Oliver. "I'm never going to win this thing."

"Yeah, you will. We just need to throw Skylar off her game and get her to use her powers. And if anyone can get her to do something, it's this guy." I stifled a laugh, ducking my head.

"They do know we can hear them, right?" I asked, laughing.

"Sorry, buddy, but the only thing you're good at getting Skylar to do is reject you." Kaz pointed out.

"She is not rejecting me, she is waiting for our love to blossom." Oliver insisted.

"Oh, are you?" Dani laughed, smiling at me. I shook my head. Oh, Oliver…

"And this is about something bigger," he continued, oblivious to me and Dani listening in, "This is about us men sticking up for each other."

"Hey Kaz!" Bree shouted from the floor above us. We all watched as several pairs of underwear dropped from above and fell to the street below.

"Do it! Do it now!" Kaz exclaimed, looking at Oliver. He nodded.

"Okay. I'll use my cryo-blast to freeze her in a block of ice, and then she'll be forced to use her powers to break herself out."

"I love it!" Kaz grinned. I looked at Dani.

"Watch this." I told her before stepping out onto the veranda.

"This is for men everywhere!" Oliver shouted, raising his hand to blast me

"Hey Oliver." I gave him my sweetest smile possible and he froze. He dropped his hand before turning to Kaz.

"I can't do it; she said the magic words." He told his best friend apologetically.

** Chase's POV **

"Well, this is unpleasant." I commented dryly, as paperclips attached themselves to my hair. In the past twenty minutes, even more metallic items in mission command had flew and hit me, only to stick to my body with no chance of moving. Calla glanced over at me from her laptop before looking back at it.

"You know, I kinda wish of that metal would've covered his mouth." Douglas grumbled.

"Got anymore bracelets?" AJ asked hopefully.

"Guys, he can hear you. Don't forget that." Calla commented.

"Thank you." I nodded at her. "And would you do something already?"

"We're trying." Douglas insisted. "But every time I try to fix your chop remotely, the magnet gets stronger."

Just then, a metal device Calla had been working with earlier flew from the consol and hit me square in the chest. "I haven't noticed." I growled at Douglas.

"Can't you use your force field?" Calla questioned, looking at me. I shook my head.

"The glitch is overriding everything. I can't use any of my abilities." I explained.

"What if we create a human shield around you?" Douglas suggested. "It won't stop the magnetic pull but by blocking its path with our bodies, it might slow it down."

AJ and Calla nodded and the three of them rushed over to me, surrounding me in a large group hug.

"Wait, hold on." AJ frowned. He looked up at Calla and Douglas. "If it doesn't work, and the magnet just keeps getting stronger…"

"Every heavy thing in this room will take AJ, me, and Douglas out first." Calla realized. She sighed and dropped her head onto my shoulder. "Douglas, I hate your plans."

Suddenly, the entire room began to rumble and shake violently. "This is the worst room to be in. Donnie built it out of reinforced steel." Douglas realized.

"Let's get out of here." Calla decided. She began to pull me and the others slowly towards the hyperlift. Douglas and AJ helped her, though due to the amount of metal surrounded my legs, I could barely move my feet. Eventually, though, we made it, and it sent us straight up to the main floor.

"Hey, guys…?" Dani got off the couch, looking at us questioningly.

"Aww, is it National Hug Day?" Oliver smiled before turning to Skylar with his arms outstretched. "Bring it in."

"No." She denied him, shaking her head.

"What's going on?" Kaz asked, looking at us.

"And who's the kid?"

"Oh, this is AJ. He lives downstairs." Calla explained. "He tapped into Chase's chip with his tablet and it's causing his magnetism app to glitch."

"It's tragic but hysterical." Douglas added.

"Or maybe just hysterical." Kaz grinned.

"Look, Calla and I have to find a way to fix his glitch remotely, but when we break the human shield, ever metal object in this room is gonna go flying towards Chase." Douglas insisted.

"I'm not hearing a problem." Bree smiled. Calla gave her a look.

"Bree, you're going to help us with this, or so help me God, I will make Kaitlin my maid of honor instead of you." She threatened. Bree looked at her warily.

"You wouldn't." She called her bluff.

"Try me." Calla challenged.

"Fine." Bree sighed. Calla nodded, then looked at the rest of the group.

"Okay, when Douglas and I let ho, we need you guys to use your powers to protect Chase from being hit by all of the heavy objects." She instructed.

"Yeah…we can't do that." Skylar told her sheepishly.

Douglas and Calla exchanged looks. "Why not?" Douglas asked, confused.

"Oh, see, we're having this little challenge, guys versus girls, to see who can go the longest without using their powers for trivial things." Kaz explained.

"Saving my life is not a trivial thing!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

"I don't know. Should we take a vote?" Oliver suggested.

"Seriously, you're not done that stupid contest?" Calla sounded surprised. "I figured Bree's crazy over-competitiveness would have destroyed you all by now."

"Look, just put your contest on hold." Douglas told them. "I need you guys to buy Calla and I some time so we can try to fix this."

"Fine." Everyone sighed reluctantly. Huh, maybe next time I won't be so eager to help them out.

Calla, Douglas, and AJ broke away, the three spinning around to look at the IPAD stuck to my shoulder. Calla started pressing buttons furiously, Douglas and AJ telling her what to do while the metal objects in the room began to shake.

"Watch out! The table!" Bree shouted, speeding forward and catching the side table just as it flew into the air.

"Oliver!" Skylar exclaimed, as the toaster flew towards me. Oliver spun around and punched it, destroying it instantly. Skylar stepped forward and used a ball of energy to stop the table-top ornaments from flying at us. The chess pieces, all made of metal, flew into the air, but Kaz took care of it quickly, using his fire to turn most of them to ash.

"Ah!" Calla ducked as one of the pieces he missed flew past her head. "Okay, we have WAY too much metal in this penthouse!"

"Just hurry!" Bree snapped at her. "We can't keep this up forever!"

Suddenly, a loud, threatening, creaking sound hit our ears, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "Oh no, it's amping up." Douglas realized. "His magnetism app is going to rip the framework of the room right out of the walls!"

"Wait a second." AJ stopped them. "Can't his capsule reset his operating system and bring his magnetism app back to its original settings?"

Douglas and Calla exchanged looks. "Yes, yes it can." Calla nodded, looking impressed with the younger boy. Just then, the room creaked again, this time louder.

"Hurry. The whole room is going to implode!" Kaz urged us.

"Protect Chase. I'll use my super strength to bring his capsule down here!" Oliver offered.

"I'll help you." Bree grabbed his shoulder and they sped up the stairs. A moment later, they returned, Oliver carrying the capsule. He placed it on the ground and the others began pushing me towards the capsule. As we finally managed to get me inside, Douglas began to input the reset code into the capsule's computer.

"And…got it!" Douglas announced. The capsule's walls lit up blue for a moment, and then every piece of metal attached to me fell, hitting the floor of the capsule.

"Thank goodness." Calla breathed a sigh of relief.

"You alright?" Skylar asked. I nodded, although there was an uncomfortable pull at my back when I stretched.

"I think so. Thought my back is killing me." I complained.

"Sorry to hear it. Contest back on!" Kaz declared, clapping his hands together. The rest of the team, including AJ, walked away.

"Who's gonna help us bring this back up?" Calla called after them.

** Xxx **

Later that evening, things had calmed down a bit. Bree, Dani, and Skylar were picking up the takeout we'd ordered for dinner, Oliver was in his room, playing video games, Kaz was out purchasing a new pair of high-tops, and Douglas had an actual date, so Calla and I were down in the lab, getting some work done.

I was in the middle of typing out some new codes for MISS' upgrade when I heard it – the soft, almost inaudible sound of sneakers against the floor. Calla didn't pause in her work, clearly having not heard a thing, but I was sure.

"I know you're here." I commented. Calla looked up with a frown, but before she could comment, AJ popped up from behind one of the consols.

"Hey guys." He greeted.

"What's the matter? Couldn't kill me the first time?" I asked him, turning to give him my full attention. Calla put her laptop away, intrigued by the conversation. "Come back to finish the job."

"No. I wanted to say I'm sorry." AJ apologized. He looked at us earnestly. "I was just trying to show you what I could do. I didn't mean for all that to happen."

"Yeah, well, that's the reason I didn't want you around here in the first place." I told him. He nodded sullenly.

"I know." He agreed. "And I promise I won't come back. It's obvious I'm not ready to be a part of the team."

He turned around to leave, and Calla looked at me. It was obvious that she had taken a liking to the younger boy, and some excellent points had been made earlier about what he could contribute to the team. I sighed.

"AJ, wait." I stopped him. He turned around and looked at me, confusion clear on his face. "You getting in here, tapping into my chip…it's pretty impressive. And not just for a ten-year-old."

"Really?" He smiled at the praise. I nodded.

"Yeah. You just think you know a little bit more than you actually do. And I can kinda, barely, not really, relate to that." Calla raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment.

"So, are you saying I'm a part of the team?" AJ asked hopefully.

"Hell no." I laughed. He sighed disheartened. "But, if you want to come by, you know, occasionally, I won't keep you out."

"Thanks, Chase." He beamed. He went to leave, but stopped at the door. "But for what it's worth, you wouldn't be able to anyway."

"I definitely could!" I shouted after him as he left.

"No," Calla shook her head. "I don't think we could."

** Kaz's POV **

"Hey Kaz," Oliver greeted, walking out onto the veranda. "Wanna torch some wienies?"

I looked at him, wondering what was wrong with him. "No way, dude. I'm this close to beating Skylar in the contest."

"Don't worry, the girls are out getting dinner. It's totally safe." He assured me. "Besides, it's Dani's turn to order dinner. It's all going to vegetarian stuff."

"Good point. Let's fire up the grill." I decided. Oliver grabbed the rake, already prepped with hot dog wieners, and held it up for me. I raised my fist, lit it on fire, and set fire to the wieners. Oliver grinned.

"And, you're out." He declared once I finished. I looked at him, confused, and he punched the air. "Girls win."

"What?" I questioned.

"Oh, sorry." He touched his fingers to his neck and deactivated the square patch on it. His image shimmered for a moment, then changed into Bree. "Girls win!" She announced proudly. Dani and Skylar walked out from the kitchen, where they'd been hiding behind the counter.

"You cyber-cloaked me?" I demanded.

"That's right. The real Oliver is upstairs, trying to beat Dani's high score on Zombie Hunter 4." Skylar bragged.

I sighed. Well, fair's fair. "At least I still have my dogs."

"Nope." Dani grabbed the rake out of my hands and tossed it over the edge of the veranda. "Now you don't."

"Those are worth flying for." I grinned before jumping into the air and diving for my hot dogs. "Whoo!"


	10. A Friend in Need

** Dani's POV **

I startled awake, confused and disorientated. One minute, I was dreaming about flying above the Eiffel tower, the next I was waking up in my bedroom, the Madagascar Afro Circus song blaring. I looked over at my bedside table to see my phone's screen alit, and playing my ringtone.

"Dani!" Bree moaned, throwing open her capsule door just as Skylar threw her pillow at me. I ducked, though it still hit me in the head.

"Sorry. I thought it was off." I apologized, reaching for the phone.

"Your ring tone is stupid. And I'm not just saying that because of how early it is." Skylar complained.

"Good to know." I replied before answering it. I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "Whoever this is, it better be good."

" _Dani, hi."_  A familiar voice replied. I frowned, then pulled the phone away from my face to check the time.

"Barry?" I demanded. "What the hell, man? It's 2:34 AM!"

" _I know. And I'm sorry. But I need you to come back home."_  He told me, his voice serious.  _"I need your help."_

I looked at Skylar and Bree, concerned. Barry sounded worried, really worried. And he wouldn't have called so early if it wasn't serious.

"What's going on?" I questioned.

** Calla's POV **

"So, what should we do today?" I asked, rolling over onto my stomach, my hand resting on Chase's bare chest. He smirked up at me.

"Catch a movie. Dinner. We could go to the planetarium, make a day of it." He replied, smiling up at me. Before I could reply, the sounds of muffled arguing came from downstairs. I sighed, and dropped my head onto his chest.

"That sounds like…Kaz and Oliver." I sighed.

"We're going to have to deal with that, aren't we?" Chase leaned his head back.

"MISS?" I raised my head. "Please tell Dani to deal with her brother and boyfriend."

"I'm afraid Miss Dani is not currently in the Penthouse. She, along with Miss Bree and Miss Skylar, left early this morning." My AI informed us. "They did not indicate when they would return."

"Damn it." I muttered.

** Xxx **

When we walked onto the main floor, Kaz and Oliver were still arguing, with AJ sitting on the couch, watching them with interest.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kaz." Oliver was saying, his tone condescending. "I think we both know who has the more powerful…" he paused, glancing at AJ before continuing, "bionic abilities."

"Oh, come on! I can kick your butt any day!" Kaz argued. "How could I possibly be  _your_  sidekick?"

"Hey!" Chase shouted, getting their attention.

"Dudes, it's seven A.M." I told them, pointing at the clock on the wall. "What could you possibly be arguing about?"

"This might be my fault." AJ cut in, a guilty smile on his face.

"How am I not surprised?" Chase commented, shaking his head.

"What happened?" I asked again.

"Well, AJ was asking us questions about our bionic abilities. You know, how many people we've saved, if we have capes. The normal stuff." Kaz explained. "And then he asked if we had sidekicks, like superheroes did."

"And Kaz said I was his sidekick!" Oliver interrupted him, sounding outraged.

"Because you are!" Kaz pointed out. He gave me and Chase a smirk. "This guy."

"I've saved twice as many lives as you, and I'm way more responsible than you. I'm clearly the hero, and you're the sidekick."

"But my abilities are WAY cooler." Kaz insisted.

"Well, technically," I began, but he gave me a heated glare.

"No one cares about the technicalities, Calla." He stopped me before continuing. "And anyway, everyone knows that the hero is the more powerful of the two."

"And what makes you think you're more powerful?" Oliver challenged, crossing his arms.

"Fire beats ice. Everyone knows that, pal." Kaz reminded him.

"I do not have enough caffeine in my system to deal with this." Chase sighed. He started walking over to the coffee maker. "Babe, you want one?"

"Triple espresso, please." I sighed before looking at the guys. "Are you guys seriously arguing about this?"

"Wait, I know." Kaz's face brightened. He walked around me and put his arm on my shoulder. "Calla, you decide who's the sidekick and who's the hero?"

"Yeah…no." I stepped away from him. "Can't you guys just let this go?"

"No." They both replied at once. Oh, that they agree on.

"Alright then." I clapped my hands together, coming up with an idea. Was it a good idea? Probably not, but it would keep them out of my hair for the day. "Here's the plan. You guys go out and do 'hero' stuff. The person who does the most is the hero, and the other is the sidekick. Agreed?"

Kaz didn't even wait. "Eat my dust, Oliver!" He shouted before running out onto the veranda and over the edge.

"Hey!" Oliver shouted, racing after him, and flying into the air.

"Since when is flying a bionic ability?" AJ gasped, grinning.

"Last month." I lied with a shrug. Chase handed me my coffee.

"You realize that this whole contest is going to come back to bite us in the butt, right?" He asked me.

"Yeah, probably." I agreed, shaking my head.

** Dani's POV **

"This is where you guys used to hang out every day?" Bree questioned as she, Skylar, and I walked into The Domain. I sighed happily, the familiar scent of old comic book pages hitting my noise.

"This was our home away from home." I replied. She didn't look impressed. "In our defense, Ollie and I had a psychopath for a mother, and Kaz's house was almost literally overflowing. Trust me; this was a paradise compared to home."

"Besides, we could talk about superhero stuff without being interrupted by anyone." I turned to see Barry walk out from behind the curtain that led towards the back. "I mean, Gus owns it and I run it, so I could close up whenever we needed."

"And we are very grateful for that." Skylar added, walking forward and giving the taller boy a hug.

"Bree, this is our friend Barry Clarke." I introduced them. "Barry, this is Bree Davenport."

"The bionic speedster. I've heard good things." He shook her hand.

"So, you said this was important." Skylar turned to him. He nodded.

"Yeah." He walked over to the door, locked it, then turned the OPEN sign to CLOSED. He turned back to you. "Obviously, you know that the League of Heroes was destroyed when Mighty Med was destroyed."

"All of the League members were inside the hospital when it was destroyed." I explained to Bree. She nodded.

"Well, apparently, the villains have figured that out too." Barry added.

"Crime rates have gone up since Mighty Med was destroyed," Skylar sighed. She looked at Barry. "I'm guessing there's a supervillain hanging around town?"

"Five, actually." He nodded.

"And you can't handle them on your own?" I inquired teasingly. He looked at me, confused, and I smiled. "I've seen the pictures online, B."

"What pictures?" Bree questioned, confused.

"There's a new hero in town, Arciere. He's an archer, about your build, and his uniform is the exact same color as our school's colors." I looked pointedly at my ex-boyfriend. "I was on the archery team with you, Barry. I know how good you are."

"You gonna tell me to stop?" He asked after a moment.

"No. This world could use the heroes, even non-powered ones." Skylar told him. "Just be careful."

"Well,  _I_  am being careful." He said. I frowned, noticing the emphasis on the I. "But that's not why I called you. I'm not the only hero in town."

"You aren't? There's another superhero?" I asked, surprised. Skylar frowned.

"We managed to locate almost all the superheroes left. The closest one to Philadelphia is Crossbow, and she's in New York. Hell, half of the survivors aren't even in the country anymore." She pointed out.

"Well, you must have missed one." Barry told us. He looked at me apologetically. "You're gonna be pissed."

** Xxx **

I slowly walked down the dirt path that led to the base of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Not long after we'd talked with Barry, several reports came over the area, warning people of structural damage caused to multiple bridges in the Philadelphia area caused by an unknown source. After Barry informed us of which villains were in the area, we'd realized that it was probably them, and split up to deal with it. Skylar had taken the JFK Boulevard Bridge, Bree and Barry had sped off to ensure that the Commodore Barry Bridge wouldn't collapse, and I had drawn the short straw, taking the least exciting of the three. Well, I guess any attack at a bridge would be equally boring, but they were getting the big bridges. I got the small one, though, I had the feeling that I might have some company soon enough.

Sure enough, I heard the sound of footsteps, and a very loud scream. Concerned, I started to move faster, but purposefully staying out of sight. I stepped around a tree and caught sight of the villain, a tall man with curly brown hair and dressed in faded armor with a black cape. I recognized him instantly as the Sonic Shriek, an inventor who turned into a villain after one of his inventions malfunctioned and gave him superpowers.

"Hey!" I called, getting his attention. He looked up, startled, a black orb in his hand. "Sup?"

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded, looking at me. I paused.

"Statica…" I trailed, realizing how bad that was. Ever since Kaz had picked his superhero name, Ollie and I had tried to do the same, but nothing I could think of seemed good enough.

"That's a terrible name." He told me. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I know. I'm working on it." I assured him. I glanced back at the device in his hand. "Is that a bomb?"

"It's a sonic-destabilizer." He corrected.

"Ah, got it." I nodded. I looked up at the bridge. "And you're going to use it to destroy the bridge?"

"What's it to you?" He questioned.

"Well, I can't let you do that." I explained, raising my hands. A ball of electricity formed between them. "Stopping villains is in the job description, you know."

"You're a hero? Named Statica?" He laughed.

"I said I'm working on it!" I snapped before shooting the ball of electricity at him. He ducked, letting it fly over his head, then his head snapped towards me and he screamed.

It felt like both my eardrums burst when he did, and the sonic waves threw me into the air. I was slammed into a metal beam attached to the bridge, then hit the ground. "Ow…" I groaned, rubbing at my ears. "Dude, not cool."

"Hey!" Before I could even get up, another figure appeared, walking out from behind the tree line. I looked up at her and stared. Not because I was surprised – Barry had given me fair warning – but because I hadn't really thought she'd show. But a few feet away from us stood a tall, skinny, green-clad, red-haired hero.

"Geminus." Sonic Shriek sneered, looking at her. "I heard you were dead."

"Well, don't believe everything you read on the internet." She snapped, splitting into five. The first two of the duplicates charged directly at Sonic Shriek, only to be caught up in his sonic scream. But, evidently from the way the rest of them acted instantly, she'd been expecting it. Two of the other duplicates attacked Sonic Shriek from the side, one going for his legs, and the other aiming a punch to his head. Sonic Shriek spun around and blasted one of them away with a sonic shriek, before dealing a heavy blow to the stomach of the other one. That's when the last of the Geminuses attacked, leaping into the air, spinning around, and kicking him across the face. He hit the ground hard, just as the other duplicates recovered, surrounding him.

"You okay?" One of them asked me.

"I don't know." I climbed to my feet. "Kinda hurts that my best friend let me believe she was dead."

She briefly looked guilty. "We should talk." She decided.

"That's an understatement." I agreed, glaring at her.

** Calla's POV **

"This was such a bad idea." Chase commented, as we watched Oliver drag himself back into the apartment. I looked at him, wondering just how he managed to get himself entirely covered in mud.

"Dude?" I questioned, gesturing at him.

"I was at the zoo. A baby fell into the alligator pen." He explained before heading upstairs. I looked at Chase and he shrugged.

"Happens more often than you'd think." He reasoned, just as Kaz landed on the veranda, soaking wet.

"AJ! Towel!' He called. AJ grabbed a towel off the couch and tossed it to him.

"What happened to you?" Chase questioned.

"I was trying to help some old lady fix her water tank, and it exploded, okay?" He grumbled, annoyed. We both looked at him. "There's, like, no one who needs saving today!"

"He's got a point." AJ agreed.

"What's the score?" Kaz questioned, drying his hair with the towel.

"Well, Oliver saved the couple whose house caught fire, the man whose care got stuck in a ditch, and the baby at the zoo, and you saved that family of four whose apartment got broken into by that robber, and…I don't think the water tank lady counts seeing as it exploded, so right now, you're both tied at four."

"I need to beat him." Kaz muttered. "But there's no one left…ooh."

"No, you can't cause a life-threatening situation to save the person's life." I told him. His face fell.

"Party-pooper." He muttered. "You're worse than Skylar."

"You want me to tell her you said that?" I challenged. He shook her head quickly.

"She's scarier." He admitted, just as our phones went off.

"Mission alert?" Oliver shouted, jogging down the stairs, leaving muddy shoe-prints in his wake. "Sweet! I can save more people and kick Kaz's butt!"

"I am so glad that your focus is on saving people." I commented sarcastically. "MISS, what's up?"

" _It appears that the mayor's office has caught fire_." The AI explained.  _"Several people are trapped inside."_

"Sweet! Saving the mayor will give me twice the points!" Kaz grinned.

" _Then it is unfortunate that Mayor Hannon is safely outside of the building."_ MISS commented. I smirked at the slight hint of sarcasm.

"Suit up. Oliver, use your connection with Dani to tell her, Bree, and Skylar to get theirs butts back here." Chase instructed. Oliver nodded, then paused. He frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Um…they can't make it. They're in Philadelphia." He sounded confused. "I'm not sure what's going on, but it has something to do with our favorite red-head."

"Liv?" Kaz looked at him, surprised. Oliver nodded. "Damn, Red. What you been up to?"

"That's a story you're going to have to wait for. We need to go." I informed them.

** Xxx **

"Alright, what's the plan?" I questioned as we rushed onto the scene. I looked up at the four-story mayor's office, grimacing when I saw that the entire top floor was engulfed in flames. "Chase?"

"Alright. The fire department are already trying to save the building, so we'll focus on the people inside. Kaz, Oliver, since you two can fly out if something goes wrong, you take the top two floors. I'll take the second and work my way down to the first. Calla, you direct the firemen and women to where they need to go."

"Wait, why don't I take the first floor? The fire department doesn't need my help." I argued.

"I'm sorry, Calla, but you're more helpful out here." Chase insisted. He looked at the boys. "Let's go."

They all rushed inside, the latter two flying up to go through the windows. I tried to do what I could, but after the fire chief assuring me that they had it handled, and two minutes of waiting, I was done. "Screw this." I muttered to myself before rushing into the building.

Immediately, I was hit by a wave of heat, the crackling of the fire in my ears. I quickly pulled one of our portable breathing masks out of my pocket, glad that Davenport kept a large supply of these in Mission Command for such missions, and began looking around. I went from room to room, searching for survivors.

** Dani's POV **

"You're over-reacting." Alivia rolled her eyes as I led her through the streets, towards the Domain.

"It's been six months, Liv." I told her, forcing myself not to yell or anything. "Six months, and you didn't call, didn't email, nothing. Hell, you didn't even access the superhero network. And don't tell me you forgot the password."

"You're mad, I get it." She sighed. "But to be fair, you're the one who moved out of the state."

I glanced at her. "How'd you know that?"

"You kidding? That video of Oliver breaking that weight-lifter's foot went viral." She smirked softly. I almost smiled.

"But you knew where we were, and you never…you never tried to contact us. We thought you were dead, Liv." I looked at her, hurt, before continuing towards the Domain.

"I know. I'm sorry." She told me sincerely. "I should have called, I just…I've been busy."

"Yeah, taking on every supervillain in existence by yourself." I muttered as we reached the Domain. Alivia paused, frowning.

"How did you know what I've been doing?" She asked, confused, as I led her into the store. Barry, Skylar, and Bree were all waiting inside for us. "Hey guys…"

"Hey, Geminus." Skylar greeted from her spot on the couch.

"I'm going to go do another round around the city." Bree decided. "Just to make sure those villains who got away don't come back."

She sped out the comic book store then, leaving us alone. "Shouldn't we go help her?" Alivia questioned, looking over her shoulder. "I mean, Dani told me that Sonic Shriek was the only one we were able to capture. The rest got away, right?"

"They're handled, for now." Barry assured her. He glanced at the rest of us. "We wanted to talk to you."

Alivia looked at her, then sighed and rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me." She muttered.

"We're just…we're worried about you, Liv." Skylar explained, gently. "You're taking on all these villains alone, all by yourself, refusing anyone's help. You're going to get hurt."

"This is an intervention. This is a freaking intervention." Alivia muttered to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose. She dropped her hand and her head snapped upwards to glare furiously at Barry. "Seriously, Barry?"

"Don't give me that look." He retorted. "I tried to help. You told me to screw off. And then I had to watch you get your butt kicked by the Disembowler, and then my Dreadlock, and then by Nightstrike, twice."

"Hey, I beat those first two eventually." The Irish girl defended herself. "And Dreadlock's sidekick."

"Eventually being the key words. How many times have you gotten hurt? How many bones have you broken, Liv?" Barry challenged. "I got sick of seeing you get hurt, so I called Dani and Skylar to step in."

"Ollie and Kaz would be here to, just as concerned as we are, but we couldn't afford to leave Calla and Chase all alone." I added. "Because you need people to have your back. That's the point of a team, Alivia. And I think you need one."

"Look," It was clear that this turn of events had caught Alivia off guard, and she wasn't happy, "I appreciate the concern, but I don't need help."

"You look exhausted." Skylar told her, and she was right. I'd noticed it earlier – her skin was pale, with darker bags under her eyes, and she'd obviously lost some weight. "You can't keep doing this on your own."

"Watch me." Alivia challenged.

"Why are you being so stubborn, Red?" Barry sighed, crossing his arms and shook his head. She glared at him.

"I explained this to you, Barry." She snapped.

"Well, you want to explain it to us?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Look. The League of Heroes is gone. Every one of the members were killed when Mighty Med was destroyed. Someone's got to pick up their slack. My father was a League member; it might as well be me."

"And you can't accept help…why?" Skylar asked.

"I don't need it." She snapped. "Besides, what do you expect me to do? Standby and let the bad guys take over?"

"You could have come to us." I pointed out. Alivia looked at me coldly.

"Really? Because I did come to you for help before. I distinctly remember you refusing, in some rather colorful words." She accused. I flinched, remembering that conversation.

Before I could figure out what to say next, Alivia's phone vibrated. Her face darkened upon reading what it said. "I have to go. Someone's screwing with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge; it's probably the other villains." She looked at us. "It was great to see you, and thanks for the concern, but I've got this. Stay out of my way."

She didn't wait for a reply, instead turning on her heels and walking out. "What was that last bit about?" Skylar questioned, confused.

"It's um…it's a long story." I explained. I looked at Barry. "We are going after her though, right?"

"Absolutely. Just let me grab my stuff." He replied.

** Oliver's POV **

"And that's four more to my total!" I declared, dropping another person onto the ground. I grinned at Kaz, who'd just finished bringing his second survivor down from the fourth floor.

"My floor's done. I'm taking over yours." He told me, flying up.

"No, you're not! Those are my saves!" I shouted, flying after him. We both landed on the third floor, where the flames threatened to swallow up the ceiling. The smoke stung my eyes, but I was grateful for the clean air filtering through the oxygen masks Calla had handed out. Kaz and I quickly began going through the remaining rooms, searching for survivors. By this point, we were tied, and with so little people left in the building, the next one of us to save anyone would likely win the contest.

Suddenly, I heard something. At first, I wasn't sure what it was – it could have been just the fire, or some piece of debris falling – but then I heard it again, this time far clearer. "Help!"

Kaz and I both looked up at the same time, looking in the direction of one of the rooms at the end of the hall. We glanced at each other, then raced towards the room. I rammed into the door, not wanting to touch the likely very hot doorknob if I could avoid it.

"Hello?" Kaz shouted, as the flames grew higher. A harsh couch came from near an over-turned desk. I rushed forward and lifted the desk up, allowing a young man who was trapped underneath to crawl away from the desk.

"Thanks." He coughed deeply. Kaz reached into his pocket and pulled out an oxygen mask, handing it to the guy. He was a few years older than us, early twenties, with short, dirty blonde hair covered soot and ash. "Seriously."

"No prob. I'm Oliver. This is Kaz." I told him.

"Miles." He replied before coughing and looking around. Before any of us could do anything, the ceiling suddenly creaked loudly, and a beam from above fell a bit, barely hanging on from the back of it. "Whoa!"

"I got it!" Kaz and I shouted at the same time, raising our hands in sync. We both blasted it at the same time, but somewhere in the blast, the two opposing elements hit each other and created an explosion. We all ducked to avoid it, but the explosion dislodged the wooden beam, which proceeded to fall through the already weakened floor, through the second, and down onto the first. There were a few shouts and screams from the floor below.

"I hope no one was hurt." I commented. Kaz raised his hand to the comm. in his ear.

"Uh, Chase, there may have been a little incident with a beam." He told them.

" _We know."_  Calla's voice echoed in our ear.  _"What did you idiots do?"_

" _Wait, Calla, are you down here?"_ We heard Chase question.

"Yeah, I came in to help." She sighed. "Look, guys. I don't know what you did, but that beam crashed through the floor. Chase and I are in the basement now. Might need a little help getting out."

"Copy that. We'll just get this guy out, then come back for you." I promised.

" _Why didn't you stay outside?"_  Chase questioned, speaking to his fiancé.

" _You really want to have this conversation right now?"_  Calla questioned. Kaz and I exchanged looks, then turned off our comms.

"They're getting married." I said to Miles by way of explanation. "We'll check in with them in a few. For now, let's get you out of here."

** Dani's POV **

Alivia had reached the Benjamin Franklin Bridge before us, and by time we got there, she'd already engaged the other supervillains. She had split into eight, two for each villain, but it was clearly wearing her out, each of her blows or ducks coming slower and slower.

"Seriously? Experion?" Skylar muttered, recognizing her friend-turned-enemy. I looked over the rest, recognizing them from past incidents or comic books. There was Hunter Bounty, one of the greatest (and scariest) bounty hunters in the universe, along with Soul Slayer, the demonic teleporter, and Nightstrike, a Normo villain with serious knife throwing skills.

"Well, I'm not waiting around for her to get her butt kicked." I told the others, watching as one of Alivia's duplicates was thrown off the bridge and into the river below. Without waiting to see if the others were coming, I flew into the air, zooming towards the villains.

"Hey! Douchebag!" I shouted, getting Nightstrike's attention before he could stab Alivia. I barged right into him, almost knocking him off the bridge. He stumbled backwards, while I landed on my feet, a few feet away from my best friend. "Get rid of a couple of duplicates." I advised Alivia. "Seven's too much."

"I've got this. I don't need your help!" She snapped, even as Bree and Skylar sped onto the scene, Barry close behind them, clad in his new superhero suit. I had to admit, for someone with no ability to sew whatsoever, and no connections to buy anything elaborate, it was a pretty decent suit. His shirt, sneakers, and mask that covered everything from the nose up were deep red, the same red as Logan High's school colors, while his pants and gloves were black, making for a nice combination of colors. He was a good shot too, taking aim at Soul Slayer from over 100 feet away. Unfortunately, the demon teleported away, the arrow flying through the spot he'd been and into the river below.

"Well, we're not leaving. So deal with it!" Bree shouted, speeding past me and charging at where Soul Slayer reappeared. The demon was too fast for her, and teleported away again. "C'mon!" She exclaimed, skidding to a stop near the edge of the bridge.

"Look out!" Skylar suddenly cried, shooting her hands out. Alivia and I both ducked as the blast went over our heads and hit Hunter Bounty in the chest.

"You were saying?" I questioned to Skylar, even as I turned to face the bounty hunter. I glanced at the others. "Pick you target, stay on him."

"Hello, Skylar." I heard Experion greet smoothly, the cockiness in his tone driving me nuts. But I couldn't focus on him – I had a feeling that Skylar wanted him all for herself. I felt Alivia back up against me, and I watched as most of her duplicates disappeared.

"Fine. Together." She muttered reluctantly as Nightstrike and Hunter Bounty circled us. I nodded, then separated my hands to create a lightning ball.

We charged at the same time, me shoot the ball of electrical energy out at Nightstrike in front of me, while Alivia used her agility to push off the ground, leap into the air, and spin a kick towards Hunter Bounty's head. The villains were expecting it, of course, but we'd figured they would. I dropped to the ground and spun around, forming another ball of electricity, slightly smaller than the last. The moment my target came into the view, I shot it at Hunter Bounty. He'd only just blocked Alivia's kick, and didn't have any time to prepare for my attack.

The ball of electricity hit him straight in the gut, knocking him back a few steps. It wasn't enough to knock him down, but it caught him off guard, and that's all Alivia needed to spin around and kick him as hard as she could in the gut. He fell back, over the edge of the bridge, and into the waters below. I rushed to the edge, planning to jump in if I had to, but was relieved when I saw that Alivia's duplicate, the one that had been knocked over a few minutes before, was already dragging the criminal to shore.

To my left, I saw that Bree and Barry had teamed up as well, the latter shooting arrows at Soul Slayer, while the former was ready to attack the moment the demon teleported away. It was a solid plan, as Soul Slayer barely reappeared before the speedster rushed him. Skylar and Experion were fighting at the other end of the bridge, trading blows and harsh words. Apparently, Skylar still wasn't over that last couple of times he tried to kill her.

"Dani!" Alivia shouted suddenly, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to the ground, mere seconds before a knife flew through the spot I'd been standing. We both snapped our heads up at the same time to glower at Nightstrike, the villain holding another pair of knives loosely in his hand. He smirked at us, amused, then dropped the knives. He pulled a pair of black batons out of the back of his jacket, twirling them once before charging at us. Alivia stepped out of the way, but I stood my ground, raising my hands to deflect the blows. I charged my hands and wrists up with electricity and began matching him blow for blow, my powers helping to drain some of the strength out of the attack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alivia split into two.

"Duck!" She shouted and I dropped to the ground, not even pausing to question it. Nightstrike spun around to face the duplicates, but not before they started their attack. One of the duplicates leapt into the air and used her full body weight to knock the batons from his grasp, while the other tackled him. He tripped over me and both he and the duplicate went over the edge of the bridge, creating two loud splashes when they landed.

I let out a laugh, watching the duplicate and the one from earlier drag him over to Hunter Bounty, the bounty hunter already tied up. I looked at Alivia, grinning, and held out my fist. "Superheroes?"

She gave me a bemused smile, before hitting her fist against mine. "Superheroes."

"Ooh, dang. That looks like a cold swim." Bree commented, walking over to us. I looked past her to see that Barry was currently forcing power-suppressing hand cuffs onto Soul Slayer, an arrow sticking out of the demon's thigh. Skylar, on the other hand, was standing over a bruised and beaten Experion.

"I'll get my revenge." He muttered. Skylar rolled her eyes, having had enough of him.

"Hey, take a picture." I told her, grinning. "Ollie will love it."

"I guess, maybe, I did need your help." Alivia admitted. I looked at her, grinning.

"What was that? I'm sorry, what?" I asked, leaning in close. She rolled her eyes.

"You just love being right, don't you?" She questioned. I shrugged, and looked around the bridge, a thought just now occurring to me.

"Hey, it's like…four in the afternoon, right? What are the odds that no Normo has driven past this bridge since the fight began?" I questioned.

"Weird." Barry agreed with a frown.

"Not really. Superheroes just get this kind of luck." Alivia commented, looking around. She glanced at the villains. "But luck eventually runs out. We should deal with these guys before we get caught in a situation that we can't explain."

** Calla's POV **

"Calla?" I heard Chase call, his voice coming from somewhere to my left.

"Over here." I called back, staying where I was. The basement of the mayor's office was pitch black, with the exception of the flames coming from above, and the massive hole in the first floor, allowing what little sunlight made it past the smoke to stream down to the floor. Chase came walking towards me, covered in soot. "You okay?"

"It was a rough-landing, but yeah. You?" He checked, examining me.

"Fine, but I'm almost out of O2. The good news is that smoke rises, so even if we do run out, we'll have more time than we would if we were still on the first or second floor." I replied. I looked over at the beam that fell, the flames having died a few seconds ago, but the wood burnt to a crisp. "Those idiots. What were they thinking?"

"What were you thinking?" Chase questioned. "You wouldn't be down here if you'd stayed outside."

"You're not mission leader anymore, Chase." I reminded him, craning my neck to see if there was a way we could get out without having to wait for the boys to get us out. "And I wasn't going to wait around out there while you guys did all the work."

"Calla, you're more helpful with the fire chief than in here, looking for survivors." He told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Doing what?" I questioned, unzipping my mission suit jacket. Damn, it was getting hot in here. "Chase, admit it: you benched me."

"And why would I do that?" He questioned. "And please don't give me any of that 'because you're a girl' stuff that Bree would."

"Because I don't have powers." I pointed out. He looked surprised. "Oh please. I'm the only one here that can't fly, or use telekinesis to avoid being crushed by flaming wood, so you told me to wait outside."

"I told you to wait outside in case something went wrong. I may be the smartest man in the world, but you're a better strategist. Out of all of us, you're the best at analyzing maps and seeing the little things I tend to miss. I wanted you outside so that if something like this happened," he gestured at the mess we were currently in, "you could talk me, or Kaz, or Oliver, on how to escape using your computer. You're our best asset when it comes to stuff like that. It has nothing to do with the fact that you don't have powers."

I hesitated. I hadn't thought of that at all. "Oh."

"You really thought it was because you don't have powers? That's ridiculous." He commented, looking around. I shrugged.

"Hey!" Suddenly,  _finally_ , a voice came from above. "You guys mad we nearly killed you?"

"Yes." Chase and I both answered Kaz at once. "Dude, get us out of here."

"Once we figure out how to get down there without burning!" Oliver assured us.

"Well, we're screwed." I muttered.

"Heard that!" The boys shouted.

** Oliver's POV **

" _Well, we're screwed."_  Calla muttered, not realized that we'd reactivated our comms.

"Heard that!" Kaz and I retorted. I stepped closer to the hole, but the edges of it had already caught fire.

"We are going to have to figure this out." Kaz muttered. "I mean, the fire won't hurt me, so I can fly down there without a problem, but it's getting them back up that's the problem."

"How about we put the contest on hold?" I suggested.

"That would be nice." Chase commented, reminding us that the two geniuses were listening in on everything we were saying.

"No one asked you." Kaz commented. He nodded at me. "But yeah, deal. I guess we can both be the hero."

"I can use my powers to keep the fire from spreading," There was too much for me to get rid of completely. The fire department had already condemned the building as it was. "You fly down and get them."

"Got it." Kaz didn't wait, instead taking a step back, then running forward and jumping through the hole. Shaking my head, I raised my hands and used my cryoblast to kill the fire around the hole, just as Kaz came flying through the hole, giving a peeved-looking Calla a piggy-back ride.

"New rule." She announced after he set her down and went back for Chase. "No more contests. Ever. It always ends badly."

"Agreed." I nodded.

"I'm with her." Chase agreed as Kaz flew the two of them up to the main floor.

"Yeah, good call. Besides, I totally won." Kaz grinned.

"No, you didn't." I retorted. Calla groaned loudly, put her hands on my shoulders, and started pushing me towards the exit.

"Can we  _please_  get out of here  _before_  the entire building burns down?"

** Calla's POV **

"Well, at least we got everyone out." I commented, watching at the entire fourth floor of the mayor's office collapsed onto the third. The fire department was finishing up, putting the last of the fire out with Oliver's help, but there was no way this building would be in use…probably ever again. "That's the important part."

"I have to agree." We turned around to see a blonde-haired woman walking towards us.

"Mayor Hannon." Chase greeted, nodding respectfully.

"Yes. Misters Davenport, Broadman, Short, and Miss Parker, am I correct?" She questioned as Oliver walked up to us.

"Yes, m'am." I glanced over at the boys, wondering how she knew who we were.

"Mr. Davenport informed me of your Elite Force a few months ago, so that if any of you were caught interfering with any sort of police investigation or such, we'd know why." She explained, noticing the confusion on our face. "I wanted to thank you for your help today. You saved 12 lives."

"It was no problem m'am." Kaz assured her, being unusually respectful, just as a guy with dirty blonde hair jogged.

"M'am," he spoke to the mayor, "I need to speak with you."

"Very well, Agent Hunt." She nodded. She looked at us. "Thank you once again for your help with the situation. Centium City is lucky to have you."

She and Agent Hunt walked away. "Dude, we just got personally thanked by the mayor!" Oliver grinned. I smiled, remembering how excited Chase and I had been when we were first thanked by the President.

"Never mind that. Miles is called an agent. He must be a spy. Dude, we just saved a spy." Kaz grinned.

"You didn't save a spy." Chase told him.

"You can't prove that." The pyrokinetic replied smugly before walking away. I looked at Chase.

"Hey, when we go on our honeymoon…do we have to come back?" I asked, half-joking.

** Dani's POV **

"Alright. Thanks." After about twenty minutes of arguing with Bob, the kid  _finally_  handed Mr. Davenport the phone. She quickly explained the situation, and after what I highly suspected was a sigh and him thinking 'do those kids go LOOKING for trouble?' he replied. She nodded along as he spoke, gave us a thumbs-up.

"So?" Alivia walked back over to us. Looking past her, I could see our four captured villains tied up and gagged in the back room of the Domain.

"You know, I really hope Gus doesn't walk in here and see that." Barry commented, frowning. Bree hung up her phone.

"Mr. Davenport's sending some people out here to collect them and bring them to a government holding facility that's capable of holding people with abilities." She announced. "They should be here in a couple of hours."

"Which is good, because we need to get home. Calla and the boys must be wondering where we are by now." Skylar reminded us.

"If they're not still on a mission." I added. Both she and Bree looked at me, confused.

"What mission?" They asked in sync.

"Oh, right. Didn't tell you about that." I laughed sheepishly. "Oops."

Skylar laughed, not at all surprised by this, while Bree just shook her head in exasperation. "Well, I guess we really need to go now." The speedster decided.

"Hey, if you guys ever get bored of Philadelphia, come join us in Centium City." Skylar told our friends. Alivia and Barry exchanged looks. "What?"

"Um, I'm not staying in Philadelphia." Alivia admitted. I looked at her, ecstatic.

"You're going to join the team?" I asked hopefully. To my disappointment, she shook her head.

"I thought about what you said, about me needing a team. And, I think you're right. I do need someone watching my back. The reason the League of Heroes worked out so well was because they worked together." She explained. "But I'm not the only hero that's still out there, wanting to help. There are others. I'm going to find them."

"And I'm going to help her." Barry added.

"Geminus and…" Skylar paused, looking at him uncertainly.

"Arciere. It's Italian." He offered.

"Geminus and Arciere. The founding members of the…New League of Heroes." Skylar smiled. Alivia nodded. "Where are you guys going to start?"

"Well, if you've got some intel, I'd love to have it. But I was thinking…New York first. Barry mentioned a hero being there. And I know of a couple in Canada. And then…I don't know. We'll figure it out."

"Well, be careful." Skylar gave the Irish girl a hug. "And call us if you need any help."

"Likewise. You and your…Elite Force get in over your heads, you give me a call. I'll come running." Alivia promised.

"We'll come running." Barry corrected, giving both Skylar and I a hug.

"It was really good to meet you." Bree told them. "I've so many good things, and it's good to know that we're not the only ones fighting."

"Well, I've never met a super speeder before. Really glad that I can now say that I have." Barry joked.

"To who?" Alivia questioned, looking at him. He paused, thinking about it.

"Oh, right." He realized. "Myself, I guess."

"Hey…can we talk?" I asked Alivia, nodding at the door. She nodded and followed me outside.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier." She apologized before I could say anything. "That comment I made about you not refusing to help me before…that was uncalled for."

"Well, I pretty much told you to go to hell that first time, so…" I reminded her, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "And I shouldn't. I'm sorry."

"We cool?" Liv asked hopefully. I nodded.

"Always." I promised her. She smiled happily, and went to go inside. I stopped her before she could. "I'm not done."

"I thought we were cool." She commented, frowning. I nodded quickly.

"We are. But…look, you asked me a favor that day, and-" I began. She cut in.

"You had every right to say no. I shouldn't have asked you to do that." She told me. I looked her in the eye.

"I'm in." I told her. She looked at me, confused.

"What?" She asked incredulously.

"I'm in." I repeated myself.

"If this is about tonight…" I shook my head, causing her to trail off.

"It's not. You were right to ask, and as much as I hate saying this, you're right. So, count me in." I insisted. She looked me over, trying to tell if I was serious or not, then nodded.

"Alright. Let's do this." She agreed.

** Calla's POV **

"We're home!" Bree sang as she sauntered into the penthouse, Skylar and Dani following closely behind.

"Where have you guys been?" Chase questioned. The two of us were at the kitchen table, while Kaz and Oliver played video games in the living room.

"Oh, you know, home." Dani replied, sitting on the arm of the couch and looking at the boy's video game. She suddenly gasped and reached into her bag. "Oh! I forgot! Barry sent you guys these. They got early copies at the Domain."

She pulled out two video game cases and handed one to each of them. "Sweet! Styx: Shards of Darkness!" Kaz beamed, turning it over on his hands.

"So, wait, seriously. Liv's alright?" Oliver asked, looking at the girls. They exchanged looks.

"Yeah, yeah she is. And if she's not, she's got Barry." Skylar assured him.

"Who, by the way, is now a superhero." Dani added incredulously. "I mean, he doesn't have powers, which makes him not nearly as badass as we are, but he's still superhero."

"We miss all the fun." Kaz complained, even as he read the back of the video game.

"What'd you guys do?" Bree asked, walking over to the table and grabbing an apple.

"We saved a spy's life!" Kaz grinned.

"He wasn't a spy!" Chase exclaimed, a little annoyed by this point.

"Um, Calla?" Skylar looked over at me. I sighed.

"So these two idiots," I gestured to the offended Kaz and Oliver, "had a little competition, and there was a mission, and they nearly got us killed."

"Sounds eventful." Bree complimented me. Dani looked at Kaz and her brother.

"What kind of competition?" She inquired, sliding off the arm of the couch.

"Which one of us was each other's sidekick." Kaz explained. Dani gave them both a confused smile.

"Well, that's just stupid. Neither of you guys are each other's sidekicks." She told them.

"Thank you." I sighed in relief.

"You're my sidekicks." Dani beamed at their expressions, then skipped to the stairs and headed up to the second floor. Kaz and Oliver exchanged looks, then raced after her, arguing that she was the sidekick instead.

I sighed audibly. "Here we go again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out Love and War to see the rest of Alivia's story!


	11. The Rock

** Skylar's POV **

"I LOVE that movie! I've seen it five times." AJ beamed as we all walked into the Penthouse. We'd just gone out to see that new Logan movie, and AJ had begged us to let him come with. "Oh, I hope I didn't ruin the ending for you guys."

"No." Kaz's voice was full of sarcasm. "You already ruined the beginning and the middle, so I didn't really care about the end."

"It's like having Leo around again." Bree murmured to Calla. The genius smirked.

"He did have the habit of spoiling the ending." She agreed.

"So, uh, what do you guys wanna do now?" AJ questioned, plopping himself down on our couch. Kaz, Dani, Oliver, Bree, and I all exchanged glances.

"Actually, why don't you stay right here while we go have a quick little team meeting out on the terrace, okay?" Dani suggested, patting the kid on the shoulder.

"Okay." AJ nodded and grabbed a book off the table. We all headed onto the veranda, but once the door closed behind us, we all turned on Chase and Calla.

"'Sup?" Calla commented, noticing the looks we were giving them.

"Look, I know you guys told AJ he could hang with us, but this is getting ridiculous." Bree told them. Oliver nodded.

"Yeah. This morning, I came down for a bowl of cereal, and he poured my milk." He added. "It was kinda nice, but also kinda creepy."

"Look, guys, the only reason that AJ's been hanging around so much is because he doesn't have any other friends." Chase reasoned.

"So, he's a mini you." Kaz accused.

"He's a good kid." Calla reminded us.

"Yes, and it's nice that you guys are looking out for him, but we just need a little bit of space." I explained to them. Oliver nodded.

"Not to mention, it's really risky. We have to keep our superhero status a secret." He added.

Calla and Chase sighed. "Fine." Calla grumbled.

"We get it. I'll just go break his heart and tell him he can't hang out with us as much." Chase glared at us, clearly upset with our decision, but respecting it all the same. We all walked back inside, where AJ was snacking on some cookies Jaden had sent for Bree.

"Great cookies." He complimented before rubbing his throat. "Got anything to wet my whistle?"

"You do it." Calla whispered suddenly, pushing Chase forward a step.

"Uh, AJ, I think we should talk." Chase looked back at the rest of us before continuing. The younger boy's attention was solely on him, a half-eaten cookie in his lap. "There's been some concern, mostly from the others, about you being around so much."

"I get it." To our surprise, AJ smiled at him kindly.

"You do?" Kaz questioned. AJ nodded.

"Of course. You're afraid I'm going to find out they're superheroes." He realized. We all stared at him.

"What?" "Us?" "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard!" Dani, Kaz, and Oliver all exclaimed at the same time.

"They're bionic, AJ." Bree insisted.

"Uh, no you're not." AJ argued, looking at us like we were idiots. He pointed at me, then at Kaz and the twins, "She's an alien, and those two touched the Arcturion space rock."

We all exchanged looks. "He knows too much." Dani whispered, a panicked look on her face. She looked at Kaz. "Light up your fire hand! Take him out."

"Dani!" I scolded, shaking my head. She shrugged.

"What?" She retorted.

"No, Dee, Skylar's right." Oliver told her. I smiled gratefully. "We don't wanna make a mess. Better freeze this punk!"

He raised a fist to activate his cryoblast, but Calla quickly drew AJ behind her, giving Oliver a harsh look.

"Dude!" She snapped.

"How did you know we were superheroes?" I demanded.

"It's my fault. I'm just way too heroic-looking to pass for normal." Kaz bragged.

"I've known your secret for weeks." AJ interjected, poking his head out from behind Calla.

"I don't like this. Who knows what else is in that little cat-toy-sized head of his?" Bree muttered to Calla.

"If AJ tells the public that superheroes exist, it'll cause hysteria." I worried. "Not to mention, we'll be under a microscope which will make tracking Roman and Riker ever harder."

"Why would I sell you out when I'm trying to convince you to make me a part of the team?"

"He's got a point." Calla agreed, stepping away from him as she finally decided he was safe from Kaz, Oliver, and Dani.

"Look, AJ's a smart kid. I think we can trust him." Chase vouched for him.

"Or can we?" Kaz demanded, getting right in the kid's face. AJ didn't react, so Kaz nodded to himself before turning to us. "He didn't flinch. I think we're good."

"Now that we're cool, there's something I want to show you guys." AJ sauntered over to his backpack, which he'd left on one of the chairs by the chess table, and pulled out his IPad. "It's my Elite Force Breakdown. I compiled all of your abilities and superpowers, and then ranked your value to the team, one through seven."

He showed us the list of names on the device. I was first, Kaz was second, Dani was third, Bree fourth, Oliver fifth, Chase sixth, and finally Calla as the seventh. "Hey." Calla frowned, looking at the list. "Why am I last?"

"You don't have any powers, and Skylar has five really powerful ones." AJ pointed out. "By definition, that makes you less valuable to the team."

Calla looked at him for a moment, then pressed her lips together and turned to Oliver. "Okay, you can freeze him now."

"Why am I second last?" Chase complained, noticing how close to the bottom he was.

"It's not personal, guys." AJ promised him and Calla. "It's just accurate."

** Dani's POV **

"Hey, what are you guys working on?" I inquired as Ollie and I walked into Mission Command. Chase and AJ were in the middle of the room, tinkering with a large scooter.

"Well, Chase wants to move up the list, so I'm helping him find a way to get to missions faster." AJ explained. "You and Kaz fly, Bree and Skylar have super speed, Calla as her Geo-Leap Watch…"

"And Chase has a bus pass." I added, smirking.

"Hey, it's not a bus pass. It also works for the subway." Chase objected. "Anyways, I came up with te idea for this A high-tech hover bike that will speed me to missions in no time."

"Cool. How does it work?" Ollie inquired.

"The hover technology allows it to float off the ground, and just wait until you see how fast it goes." AJ grinned. Chase strapped on a bicycle helmet, climbed onto the scooter, and pressed a button. It lifted into the air, where he changed the angle of it so that he faced an empty tunnel opening. He pressed another button and the hover bike began to move, though very slowly, towards the opening.

"Why am I going to slow?" Chase demanded, confused.

"Oh, let me try this." AJ offered before pressing something on his IPad. Suddenly, the hover bike lunged forward, speeding forward at speeds only Skylar and Bree could match. The momentum threw Chase forwards, into the rock wall near the tunnel.

"Well, at least we know the helmet works." AJ commented as Chase groaned in pain.

All of a sudden, the rock wall near the elevator slid open and Kaz walked out. He stopped short upon realizing that we were in mission command, a surprised look on his face.

"Hey, Kaz." I walked over to him and gave him a peck on the lips. "What were you doing in there?"

"I was, uh…" He froze, unable to come up with a good excuse. He looked past me, at Chase. "Chase, what's the word for exploring underground passages?"

"Spelunking." Chase offered.

"Yeah…I was exploring underground passages." Kaz told me, smiling widely. I crossed my arms, backing up.

"I know that fake smile." I accused.

"You're up to something." Ollie realized. "What are you hiding in there?"

"Nothing." He lied. I frowned, then tried to go see for myself what he was trying to hide, but Kaz blocked me. I tried going around him, but he stopped me again.

" _Ollie?"_  I called telepathically as I glanced back at my brother with a smirk. He nodded without even having to hear my plan. I turned to Kaz, smirked, then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pressed my lips against his. While he was distracted, Ollie slipped past him.

"Ha! I'm through!" He shouted, running into the tunnel. Kaz broke off our kiss.

"Not fair." He told me, only half-annoyed, before racing after my brother. AJ, Chase, and I ran after him, only stopping when we reached a very cluttered room. At first, I thought the whole room was filled with useless junk, but upon a closer examination, I started to recognize some of the junk: the gumball machine from The Domain, the Tecton costume Kaz wore to Comic Con last year, Alivia's destroyed mask, the take-out menu Kaz and I got on our first date from the restaurant he took me to, and an x-ray of the Crusher with a missile in his gut all caught my eye immediately.

"What is all this junk?" Chase questioned, looking around.

"It's not junk. They're my mementoes. I can never throw anything away." Kaz explained. "I can't help it; I'm a hoarder."

"And Katy's a memento?" Ollie questioned, pointing. I looked up to see my grey and white cat, perched on top of a stack of file boxes. I sighed and reached up for her, pulling her into my arms. She purred softly, rubbing her head against my hand.

"Is this your retainer?" Chase questioned, picking up a thin piece of metal off a filing cabinet.

"It's A retainer." Kaz corrected, grinning. "Try it on. I did."

"I just kissed you." I murmured, slightly disgusted now. "Gross, Kaz."

"What's this?" AJ spoke up. We turned to see the kid next to an open storage box, holding a very special glass pyramid with a ball of deadly, hot pink energy inside it. Inscribed on the orb was an infinity symbol, one I hadn't seen since my mother left us.

"That's the Arcturion." I realized, turning to give Ollie and Kaz a confused look.

"The thing that gave you guys your super powers?" Chase questioned. We all nodded. "Ah, a pyramid with a glowing racquetball inside. Now that is science."

"I thought Mom had this thing." I frowned, confused.

"So did I. How'd it get in here?" Ollie asked, looking at Kaz. He shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I went back to Mighty Med after it was destroyed and grabbed everything I could – figured it would be better than letting Normos or villains get to this stuff. It must have been in one of those storage bins." He decided. "I didn't even realize it was in here."

"How do we open it?" AJ inquired.

"You don't." Ollie said quickly, taking the pyramid away from him. "If any human makes direct contact with the orb, it'll kill them."

"It's the coolest thing I've ever seen." AJ told us, reaching for it. "I just wanna-"

"No." I told him.

"-touch it so-"

"No." Kaz stopped him.

"-I can study it."

"No!" Ollie snapped.

"Here." I dumped Katy is his arms. "Play with her."

"But she hates me." He complained as she glared up at him. I nodded.

"Like I said. Play with her." I replied before turning back to the guys.

"Look, we can't keep this thing around here. It's too dangerous." Chase told us sternly. "Mr. Davenport has a storage area at Facility X where it'll be safe. It's isolated, and secure, so no one will touch it. You three take it there."

"Fine." We all agreed.

"Why would you save this?" AJ called, holding up a small, dark, furry thing.

"I didn't. That's a dead rat." Kaz replied. AJ blanched in disgust, dropping the rat.

** Skylar's POV **

"Hey guys." I greeted as I walked into the kitchen. Bree was at the kitchen table, eating dinner, while Calla was typing on her laptop.

"Hey Skylar." Bree greeted, while Calla pointedly ignored me.

"What are you doing?" I inquired, sitting near her on the couch. She continued to ignore me. I sighed in exasperation. "Don't tell me you're upset that I'm higher on the list than you."

"Of course not!" She looked up at me, annoyed. "AJ's just a kid. What does he know about ranking heroes, or how much value any one of us brings to the team."

"Well, he is pretty smart, ad he did calculate everything based on facts and statistics." Bree pointed out.

"And he does have a point that I have a lot of powers and you don't." I added, trying to help her understand the logic.

"I understand thorough reasoning!" Calla snapped, peeved. She let out a long sigh, then looked at us. "Look, I don't need powers. I am totally capable with my weapons. Why do we need a list to tell us who's better than anyone else? We're all heroes, we're all good at what we do."

"I couldn't agree with you more." I told her. Calla nodded, closed her laptop, and got off the couch.

"Good." She declared.

"Where are you going?" Bree questioned.

"To figure out how to make myself better than you." The genius declared. I sighed and shook my head. Calla headed for the hyperlift just as it opened up. Dani, Kaz, and Oliver walked out, holding the Arcturion in their arms. "What's that?"

"The Arcturion space rock." Dani replied cheerfully. Calla frowned.

"The thing that gave you powers?" She questioned sharply.

"You know, I always imagined it would be inside some sort of magic lamp." Bree commented, smirking.

"Oh, that's just ridiculous. Where would the genie live?" Kaz retorted.

"Look, I don't even wanna know why that's here, but you need to get rid of it right away." I told the three of them. Roman and Riker knew where we lived, and they'd gotten into mission command before. The list was one thing, but if they ever got their hands on the Arcturion, they'd be able to take over the world.

"Already on it." Oliver assured me. "We're taking it to Mr. Davenport's storage facility."

"Good." I nodded. "I mean, I'd help, but this seems more like a job for numbers two, three, and five."

"Hey, wanna grab some fro-yo?" I asked Bree and Calla.

"Yeah, sure." Bree agreed. Calla shook her head.

"Nah, I'm gonna go work on stuff." She replied, heading up to her room. Bree and I shrugged, grabbed our purses, and left the Penthouse, heading for the nearest fro-yo shop.

** Dani's POV **

"We should get this to Facility X." I told the boys.

"Wait." Kaz stopped me. He had a gleam in his eyes. "I was thinking. We got powers from this once. Maybe, before we take it back, we can find a way to safely touch the orb and get even more powers."

"Dude." Ollie looked at him seriously, before he grinned. "I don't know a single thing about that idea I don't love."

"Well, Dee?" They turned to me expectantly.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt." I agreed, grinning back at them.

** Xxx **

After a few hours of brainstorming, and a trip to the hardware store, we were finally working on our device to allow us to safely touch the Arcturion. But just as we were putting it together, Skylar and Bree walked in from getting fro-yo.

"What is that?" Bree questioned, looking at the object in our hands. I looked back at the red tube with the attachments we'd added.

"A garden shear pool noodle plunger." Ollie replied, struggling to come up with a good excuse.

"Obviously." Kaz added, backing him up.

"Chase! Calla!" Skylar called. Chase came jogging down the stairs a moment later, his shirt hastily pulled on over still wet hair.

"What?" He demanded. "I was taking a shower."

"Do you know anything about this?" Bree questioned. He looked over at us, confused.

"No, and I'm not sure I want to." He admitted. "That being said, what are you guys doing?"

Well, we were busted. "We built this because we wanted to touch the Arcturion without getting zapped." I confessed.

"Wait, you still have it?" Skylar demanded.

"Get rid of it like I told you to." Chase ordered. We all sighed.

"Fine. Consider it gone." Kaz walked into the kitchen, bent down and opened up the cupboard doors where we'd hidden the space rock. He stood up a moment later, his arms empty. "Actually, it is gone."

"What do you mean it's gone?" Ollie demanded, pushing past Kaz to check the cupboard himself. "Where is the world could it have gone?"

"Somebody must have taken it." I realized. I looked at Chase, Bree, and Skylar. "We left the Penthouse for maybe twenty minutes to go get supplies."

"I bet it was AJ." Ollie spoke up. "He wanted the Arcturion the moment he saw it."

"Which is weird, because usually it attracts villains, not small children." I added, frowning. Just then, the front door opened and AJ ran into the penthouse.

"Hey, guys, did you see me on the news last night?" He exclaimed, bouncing up and down like a kid on Christmas. "I told everyone you were superheroes!"

"WHAT?!" We all demanded, turning on him, horrified. He laughed at our expressions.

"I'm just kidding." He reassured. "God, you guys gotta lighten up."

"Look, AJ, we know what you did." Chase sighed. He walked up to the kid and held out his hand expectantly. "Give us back the space rock."

"What are you talking about?" AJ questioned, brow furrowed in confusion.

"It's missing and everyone saw how badly you wanted it." Chase told him calmly, motioning once again for AJ to return the stolen artifact.

"No, I didn't take it. I swear." He insisted.

"I can't believe you're lying to me." Chase exclaimed, upset. "You know what, AJ? If you're not going to admit it, then we're not going to be friends anymore."

"What?" AJ's eyes widened.

"You heard me. Get out." Chase pointed at the door. AJ took in a sharp, shuddering breath, almost as if he were about to cry, and bolted from the Penthouse.

"Don't feel bad, Chase. It had to be him." Bree told him. Skylar nodded.

"She's right. The only other person who knew about the Arcturion was…oh no." Her face paled, then, without explaining herself, she raced into the hyperlift. We all exchanged looks, then followed after her.

** Skylar's POV **

I'd hoped I was wrong – after all, she wouldn't do something that reckless, right? – but when I found Calla in one of the tunnels, the Arcturion sitting on top of a rock, the glass wall of the pyramid wide open, I knew I was right.

"Calla, don't!" I shouted as she reached for the glowing ball inside the pyramid. I raised my hand, releasing a blast of energy as her fingertips neared it. The blast rebounded off the Arcturion and hit her in the chest, sending her flying into the rock wall behind her. She hit the wall hard, then fell to the ground, not moving.

"Calla!" Chase shouted in panic, pushing me out of his way as he scrambled to her side. To all of our relief, she rolled over onto her back, blinking in confusion. "Are you okay?"

"I'm going to kill Skylar." She told him, furious. He nodded.

"Yeah, you're good." He decided, getting to his feet then helping Calla up. She looked at me, incredulously.

"What is wrong with you?" She demanded, clearly upset. "I don't know what you guys do on your planet, but on Earth we don't randomly attack people!"

"I wasn't aiming at you. I just wanted to knock you away from the Arcturion." I explained. Calla winced and rubbed her shoulder.

"Well, mission accomplished." She muttered.

"I was trying to save your life." I added. She stopped, a confused look coming over her face. I could practically see the wheels in her head turning, trying to figure out what I meant.

"Yeah, sorry, when was my life in danger?" She questioned, no longer upset, but completely bewildered.

"When you tried to touch the orb." Oliver explained. "If you'd actually touched it…well, let's just say there'd be one less name on AJ's list."

"Wait seriously?" Calla looked absolutely stunned. "That thing could have killed me?"

"Yeah. What were you doing with it in the first place?" Chase questioned, looking at her.

"I, uh, I found in the kitchen cabinet, and I took it…" Calla trailed off.

"Why?" Chase questioned. Calla sighed.

"I wanted super powers." She mumbled, clearly embarrassed. We all exchanged surprised looks.

"Why would you want powers?" Chase looked as surprised and confused as the rest of us. When Calla looked down and began to fiddle with her bracelet instead of answer, Chase glanced at us, then stepped towards her and pulled her off to the side. Not out of our earshot, but enough that he got her sole focus. "Calla, what's going on?"

"Back home, I…I felt I like I belonged. I knew where I belonged on the team. I was useful. But here…" She sighed and looked back at her bracelet, "There's a reason I was mission command back in California. I was good at that. But this? Field work, rescue missions, supervillains? I am SO out of my league. And to be perfectly honest, I'm kinda feeling useless."

"You're not." I interjected.

"I'm at the bottom of AJ's list for a reason. My tech is mostly made for combat, but it's not very powerful and most of our missions are rescue missions or of similar nature, and I'm left standing off to the side looking like an idiot. The team already has one genius, and you don't need a tech-wiz. Everything that made me useful, and valuable, and special back home…it's not important here. And that makes me unimportant."

"Calla…" Chase shook his head, but she continued.

"I know touching that rock was selfish and stupid, but, I just wanted to feel special again." She admitted.

"You ARE important. Always have been, always will be." Chase told her, looking genuinely confused as to how she could not know that fact.

"I get it, Calla. But it's too risky." I told her. I walked over to the Arcturion and carefully closed the lid. "I'll take the Arcturion to Facility X."

"You know, that's pretty far. Maybe we should just keep it in the cupboard and hope for the best." Kaz suggested. I sent him a look and he shut up.

"C'mon." Chase put his arm around Calla's shoulders and we all headed out into the main part of Mission Command. "Hey, where's the hoverbike?"

"AJ." Bree realized. "That sneaky little punk."

"No, it's not his fault. It's mine." Chase told her. "I accused him of taking the Arcturion. He's just trying to get back at me by stealing the bike. MISS, do you think you can track the bike's locator?"

" _It appears that Mister AJ has taken the hoverbike for a bit of a joy ride. He is currently circling the tunnels that connect to Mission Command."_ The AI offered helpfully.

"We can cut him off if we go this way." Kaz offered, pointing to a tunnel. Bree, Kaz, Oliver, and Dani all raced into it, but Chase hesitated by the entrance. He glanced back at Calla.

"Go. Stop AJ before he hurts himself." She told him, sounding tired but sure. He nodded and ran after the others.

I looked at Calla as she leaned against the consol, rubbing her neck with a frown on her face. "Calla, you okay?"

"Not sure." She admitted, leaning even heavier on the consol. "Everything hurts. It started when you zapped me."

"That's weird. I didn't use my full strength – I was trying to avoid hurting you." I paused, thinking about it, as Calla used to hands to grip at the consol. "Hold on. When my energy blast ricocheted off the orb, it must've magnified my powers. That's why-"

Calla collapsed, unconscious before she hit the ground. "Calla!" I shouted, racing to her side. She didn't wake, her head rolling when I shook her. "Calla!"

** Dani's POV **

"Okay, AJ should be speeding through here any second now." Chase announced. "Get in position."

"Right." We all looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Kaz frowned, then looked at Chase. "Quick question. What exactly is the standard position for catching a ten-year-old on a hoverbike?"

"Well, there's the teapot, or a capital L, and maybe a back bridge." Ollie suggested.

"Just stand on opposite sides!" Chase snapped. We all obliged, Kaz and Ollie on one side, and Bree and I on the other. I glanced at the older girl.

"Wait. You have super speed. Why don't you just chase after AJ?" I questioned.

"We want to save the hoverbike." Chase explained.

"I'll run after him if he gets past us." Suddenly, AJ zoomed past us. Kaz and Ollie lunged forward to grab him, but ended up catching each other in a bear hug when the kid passed us. "Like that."

Bree sped away, after the kid, as Kaz and Ollie stepped away from each other. "Maybe we should have gone with the teapot." Kaz admitted.

Bree sped back over to us, coughing, and AJ-less. "Where's AJ and the hoverbike?" Chase demanded. Bree shook her back.

"There was too much smoke for me to grab him. Sorry." She apologized.

"Smoke?" Chase frowned, then a horrified look came over his face. "Oh no. AJ isn't heavy enough to keep the bike under its maximum velocity. The engine is burning up."

"I'm going to go after him again." Bree sped away. Chase looked at us.

"You guys fly after him too. You have to save him before it blows." He instructed.

"What about you?" I asked. "You're not going to come with us?"

"He can't. Bus doesn't come for another half an hour." Kaz reminded me. I smirked, then the three of us flew after AJ.

** Skylar's POV **

"Chase!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, praying that he would hear me. "Oliver! Somebody help!"

Calla was breathing heavily, each breath obviously harder than the first, and her body was wracked with weak tremors as she slipped in and out of consciousness. "This is all our fault. We've all be making jokes all the time about you not having powers. If we hadn't been teasing you so much, none of this would've happened."

"It's my fault for thinking the rock would fix everything." Calla whispered breathlessly. I glanced at the Arcturion, which I'd left discarded on the floor when Calla passed out.

"Maybe it can." I realized. "The supernatural energy from the Arcturion should heal you. If I touch it, then the healing energy will pass through me to you."

"It'll kill you." Calla protested weakly, barely raising her head as I swiped the Arcturion off the ground.

"My alien nature should protect me." I assured it.

"It's too dangerous." She argued, even as I ripped the glass door off the Arcturion. I took her hand.

"You're not exactly in a position to stop me, Calla." I pointed out. "And I'm not going to let you die."

I didn't wait for her to argue some more, and grabbed the Arcturion with my bare hand. Energy began to flow through me, transferring into Calla. I grit my teeth, trying to keep my focus, but it felt like my blood had turned to liquid fire and lighting raced through my bones. I managed to hold on for a few seconds, but black spots took over my vision, and I spiraled into darkness.

** Dani's POV **

Bree caught up with AJ before us, but only by a few seconds. "Whoo hoo! Yeah!" AJ was shouted gleefully, on cloud nine as he tore through the tunnels. Meanwhile, his engine was releasing more and more smoke. "AJ!" Bree shouted, keeping pace with the bike. He looked at us, surprised, then turned his attention back to the front of him.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"We know you didn't take the Arcturion." Kaz promised him.

"Tell me something I don't know!" The younger kid retorted.

"Your hoverbike's about to explode!" I informed him. He turned to stare at me.

"What?" He demanded.

"It's going too fast! The engine is smoking!" Ollie shouted. Suddenly, the engine caught fire. "And now it's on fire!"

"What do we do?" AJ shouted, panicking.

"Tuck and roll!" Bree ordered. AJ looked at her, eyes comically wide, then leapt off the hoverbike. We all came to a stop in time to watch the hoverbike smash into the wall, shattering into a million pieces.

"Guys!" Chase ran over to us, or rather, he skated over to us, wearing a pair of rollerblades. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're good." AJ assured him, climbing to his feet. I looked him over, but aside from his pants being a little torn, and his hands a little scraped up, he seemed pretty okay. "Are those rollerblades?"

"I took them from Kaz's junk pile. I got here as fast as I could." Chase explained, skating past us, having trouble stopping.

"Um, thanks?" AJ looked at us sheepishly. "You guys saved my life."

"No problem, kid." Kaz patted his shoulder.

** Skylar's POV **

"Ugh." I looked up when Calla groaned, making the first noise in an hour. I knelt down to see her opening her eyes, the blue orbs clouded with confusion.

"You okay?" I asked gently. She frowned.

"You have six heads." She told me. "Is this an alien thing, or am I just dizzy."

"You're dizzy." I assured her. Wait, could I…? I waved my hands around my head, checking to make sure it was the only one. "Yeah, it's you."

I offered her my hand and helped her to her feet. "Wow. I feel…great. Considering." Calla looked at me. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." I assured her. It must not have been convincing enough, because she gave me a skeptical look. "I lost a few of my powers."

"What? Why didn't you tell me that could happen?" She despaired. "I wouldn't have let you do this if I'd known."

"You didn't have a choice." I reminded her. "And I would've given up all my powers to save you."

Calla blushed, touched. "I don't know what to say." She admitted. "Thank you, Skylar."

She leaned in to hug me, but stopped when a glowing, electric blue disk appeared in her hand. It was small, about the size of a desert plate, with a tennis-ball sized hole in the middle. Calla stared at it, completely bewildered. "Okay, what the hell?" She questioned after a moment, turning it over in her hand. "Where did that come from?"

I smiled, amazed. No way. "Calla, you have super powers."

"What?" She looked at me incredulously.

"You made indirect contact with the Arcturion. You have superpowers." I repeated myself.

"Whoa!" She grinned before looking at the disk. "What is it though?"

"It's a proton ring." I supplied. She nodded.

"And I do what with it?" She questioned, clearly confused. I smiled.

"Throw it." I instructed. She frowned, then gripped the disk tightly, and threw it like a Frisbee. It flew around mission command, then circled back towards her, where it landed in her waiting hand.

"Oh my God." Her eyes were bright with excitement when she looked at me. "That was amazing!" She paused. "That was supposed to go in a circle, right?"

"I am so excited for you." I hugged her. "Let's go tell the others. I cannot wait to see the look on Chase's face when he finds out."

"Wait." She stopped me. A look of uncertainty crossed her face. "Could we maybe hold off for a bit? It's a lot to take in, and I wanna get a handle on this before I tell everyone."

"It'll be our little secret." I promised her. She smiled gratefully and we headed for the hyperlift.

"I can't believe I actually have super powers." She couldn't stop smiling.

"You know what this means, right?" I asked her. She looked at me. "Now Chase is at the bottom of the list."

** Dani's POV **

"So, is everything okay with you and Chase?" I inquired. Calla had gone up to bed, Skylar, Kaz, and Bree were all watching a movie in our room, and Chase was cleaning up the mess in the tunnels from the hoverbike while Ollie and I made popcorn. AJ was sitting at the counter, snacking on some more of Jaden's cookies.

"Yeah. It hurt my feelings that he didn't believe me, but we're good now." He agreed, dipping the chocolate chip cookie in some milk. "I've also decided to get rid of the list, because everyone on the team has their own unique value."

"Chase told you to say that, didn't he?" I guessed. AJ nodded.

"Oh totally. He's worried I hurt Calla's feelings or something." He replied.

"Well, I'm glad you worked everything out." I told him.

"Though…" Ollie leaned next to me on the counter. "I was kinda hoping you'd still wanna get back at him for not trusting you."

"Why?" AJ questioned suspiciously. Ollie grinned.

"Because I have a really awesome prank I've been dying to pull on him." My brother admitted.

"Oliver, that is so immature." AJ told him, before grinning back. "Let's do it."

"Great! Watch this!" Ollie clapped his hands together. "MISS, open a comm channel to mission command!"

" _Of course."_ MISS replied.

"Chase, get up here quick!" Ollie exclaimed, his tone urgent. "There's a mission alert!"

"I'll be right there!" Chase assured us. The hyperlift lit up and Chase flew out, still skating on those rollerblades. "Ah, stairs!" He didn't have enough time to stop, instead flying off the hardwood floor when it disappeared beneath him, and landing flat on his face.

AJ, Ollie, and I all laughed. "That could not have gone better!" The younger boy exclaimed between laughs.


	12. Home Sweet Home

** Oliver's POV **

"C'mon!" Dani complained as I managed to take her avatar out in the video game. "Dude, that was cheating!"

"Was not." I rolled my eyes. Kaz leaned forward on the couch and snatched the video game controller away from Dani, having called the right to play the winner an hour ago. Chase and Calla were sitting at the kitchen counter, making some final adjustments to the guest list for their wedding before they sent out the invitations, while Bree was helping. For some odd reason, she kept sending me strange smiles, though I had no idea why. Just then, Skylar walked down the stairs, a bright smile on her face.

"Guys, I just got the best email ever!" She gushed. I beamed.

"Yes! I knew you'd like it." I told her, reassured that my email hadn't been too much. "It took me two weeks to write that song."

To my surprise, she frowned in confusion. "What song? I didn't get an email from you."

"That's because he accidently sent it to me." Bree volunteered cheerfully. Well, that explains the looks. She pulled out her phone, then pressed a button on it to play the song.

"I'll keep you warm, Skylar Storm, and when we rise about in superhero love!" Bree lip-sang the words, mocking me. I reached forward, pausing the music on her phone.

"Can you forward that to me?" Kaz laughed, amused. Bree nodded and proceeded to do so. Skylar gave me a look to let me know that she was weirded out by the song (darn, and I was really hoping she'd like it), then continued.

"Anyway, Scarlett, my best friend from my home planet Caldera, just emailed me. She's coming to visit." She exclaimed excitedly. "We haven't spoken in years, not since I started being a superhero, but

"Wait. Aliens have email?" Calla questioned, surprised. Skylar nodded.

"Of course. I get so much spam from there." She added. "I mean, who really thinks a Calderan Prince is just handing out millions of dollars?"

"Could you forward that to me?" Kaz requested. Skylar ignored him.

"I'm so excited to see Scarlet." She told us. "It'll be great not being the only alien around here."

"You know, we've been living together so long, we don't think of you as an alien anymore." Dani told her. Skylar smiled.

"Aw, really?" Everyone nodded.

"Yeah. You're just a totally normal girl who does incredible weird things." Bree assured her.

"So, when does Scarlet get here?" Chase inquired. Suddenly, a space portal appeared next to Dani, and another girl stepped out. Caught off guard, Dani jumped back, where Kaz pulled her into his lap. "Well, at least we don't have to pick her up from the airport."

"Scarlet!" "Skylar!" The two girls exclaimed, hugging each other. Like any other female Calderans, Scarlet and Skylar were exactly duplicates of each other, all the way down to the pretty flecks on gold in their eyes. The only way to tell them apart was that Skylar was dressed in a plaid long-sleeved shirt, while Scarlet was wearing something similar to an ancient Greek toga.

"Wait, is she your best friend, or your sister?" Calla questioned.

"All the females on Caldera look exactly alike." Dani explained, adjusting her position on Kaz's lap.

"And it's glorious." I added with a smile. I got up and held my hand out to Scarlet. "I'm Oliver, by the way. I'm sure Skylar's told you all about me."

"Nope. Never heard of you." Scarlet replied, shaking my hand. Oh, Skylar didn't talk about me? I told everyone I knew about her…

"Don't worry. All you need to know about Oliver is right here in this song." Bree assured her, resuming play on her phone.

"We'll fly high into the Sky-lar!" I flushed with embarrassment as my voice came from the device.

"Give me that!" I tried to snatch it away from her, but Kaz got to it first, laughing as he ran from the room, the music still playing.

** Skylar's POV **

"You know, I'm a superhero. Should I really have to make my own lunch?" Kaz complained. Bree grabbed the full garbage bag from the can under the sink.

"Probably not," she admitted, before shoving the bag into his hands. "You also shouldn't have to take out the trash, but you're gonna do it."

"Actually, that's Ollie's job." Dani offered, helping set the table. Kaz nodded.

"Oliver, trash bag!" He called, tossing it to the boy. Oliver grinned, catching it.

"On it!" He shouted before using his super strength to crush the garbage inside into a smaller, easier to carry box-shape. "I am the garbage man!" He declared proudly.

"…Yeah, that doesn't sound as impressive as you think." Calla told him.

"Lunch is ready!" Bree called, starting to carry some plates to the table.

"This looks great. I'm starving." Scarlet told the others as they all sat down. She opened her mouth and the food flew off the plate and the food flew into her mouth. While I just started picking at my salad, the others all stared at her, wide-eyed. It took me a minute to remember that eating like that only happened on some planets, and Earth wasn't one of them. I'd learned to eat like a Normo a while ago, knowing that if I ate normally it would give myself away at school, but Scarlet was blissfully unaware of the customs of Earth. She frowned when she noticed the others staring. "What's wrong? Do I have something in my teeth?"

Chase shook his head. "Aliens." He muttered to Calla.

** Dani's POV **

"Hi Chase." I smiled, skipping across mission command. He was sitting near the cyberdesk, reading a book. He looked up as I approached.

"Oh, hey Dani." He greeted. I smiled at him, and he sighed. "I know that smile. What do you want?"

"Your help. It's a techy thing." I explained. He closed his book.

"I thought we all agreed to go to Calla for science or tech help to try and make her feel more useful?" He questioned. I nodded.

"I did. She said no." I replied. He raised an eyebrow. "Something about it being dumb, childish, and guaranteed to end badly."

That caught his attention. "I'm listening." He said, sitting up and leaning his elbows on the cyberdesk.

"So, as you know, my and Ollie's birthday is next week, and I know what I want to give him, but it's a little beyond my expertise. I was thinking…well, everyone in the penthouse is dating someone, except Ollie and Skylar. And let's face it – she's not interested. So," I sat down on the chair in front of him, "what if we built him a girlfriend?"

Chase stared at me for a moment, an incredulous look on his face. "You want to build him a girlfriend?"

"Yes." I confirmed. He nodded thoughtfully.

"I see why this is guaranteed to end badly." He hummed to himself.

"Oh, come on! We've all got someone but him, and Skylar isn't interested, and the only way to get him less infatuated with her is to give him someone else to focus on. Where's your romantic spirit?" I questioned. "Don't make me force you to watch that Flash musical with us again."

"I agree with Calla. This is a bad idea from the start." He told me, starting to get up. Oh well, if you can't convince them, trick them.

"Okay." I sighed audibly. "If you can't do it, I guess I can try and track down AJ or something."

As expected, he looked completely offended. "I CAN do it, Dani, I'm just choosing not to."

"Yeah, sure. Seriously, Chase, it's okay. If it's beyond your abilities, there's no harm in admitting it." For the 'smartest man in the world' Chase sure let his ego get in the way of logical thinking.

"I said I can do it." He insisted.

"Prove it." I challenged.

"Fine!" He snapped, hitting a button on the cyberdesk to open up the storage room. He stormed off towards it, then paused at the door. "I know what you're doing, by the way."

"But you're still going to do it just to prove a point, aren't you?" I guessed. He scowled, but continued on his way. I smiled, amused.

** Xxx **

"Hey guys." Kaz greeted, walking into mission command. He walked over to me and held up two tickets. "Hey, the circus is in two next week. Wanna go?" I opened my mouth to reply, but he quickly added, "I know how you feel about circus animals and how they're treated. They don't use animals for anything, I double checked."

"Sweet." I beamed, taking my ticket from him. He looked over at Chase.

"What are you up to, you freaky little genius?" He questioned, noticing all the robot parts.

"We're building Ollie a girlfriend." I told him cheerfully. He smiled, though he was clearly confused.

"Why?" He questioned. "What about Skylar?"

"They're not together." Chase commented.

"Yeah, but I think he's got a chance." He told us.

"You do?" I questioned skeptically. He hesitated.

"A small chance, I admit, but there's a chance, and I honestly think that if he just asked Skylar out instead of just following her around everywhere, she might say yes." He reasoned. I looked at him.

"Someone got love on the brain?" I teased.

"You're the one that made me watch that stupid musical six times." He accused. "This is your fault, Dee."

"I know, and I'm proud." I replied, leaning forward on the cyberdesk to grin in his face. He shook his head, then looked at Chase.

"Seriously, dude, he's not going to go for it." He told him. "Besides, how can you even build someone a girlfriend in the first place?"

"It's not that hard." Chase reasoned. "Her artificial intelligence is all set. I just have to assemble the parts, slide on her skin suit, and boom! Oliver's dream girl!"

"Freaky." Kaz commented.

"There's nothing freaky about it." Chase insisted. "Now, could one of you pass me her nose?"

Kaz and I looked at each other. "Not it." We declared.

"I'm grabbing lunch. Dee?" Kaz offered me his arm. Smirking, I looped my arm through his.

"Hey, you want anything, Chase?" If he was helping me with Ollie's gift, the least I could do is bring him lunch.

"Yeah, thanks. Anything's good." He waved me away, too busy focusing on the robot-girl to really pay attention. I shrugged and followed Kaz upstairs.

** Skylar's POV **

"Hey, Skylar," Bree greeted when I walked into the kitchen. "Where is everyone?"

"Chase is in the lab, Dani and Kaz went out for lunch, Oliver went to the library to help AJ with some school project, Calla's on the phone with someone named Dr. Ryan, and Scarlet's on the veranda." I listed, grabbing a couple of bottles of water from the fridge.

"So, what are you guys up to? Do you wanna go out and show Scarlet around the city?" Bree suggested, smiling.

"We already made plans, but you're welcome to join us." I offered.

"Great, what are we doing?" She inquired. I held up the tools Calla had reluctantly allowed me to borrow.

"Sanding down Scarlet's back scales." I replied. Bree looked at me, disgusted.

"Yeah, I'm gonna pass." She decided.

"No, c'mon. It'll be fun." I insisted. "I'll sand, you sweep. It's just like getting your nails done."

"No, it's really not." She told me before heading upstairs. I shrugged and brought the water bottles out to Scarlet on the veranda.

"I get the feeling Bree doesn't like me." She observed, accepting the bottle of water from me.

"No, she's just not used to being around aliens." I assured her as I sat down. Scarlet gave me a look and I sighed. "And she may not like you."

"Skylar, I have to ask: why are you even here?" Scarlet gave me a puzzled look. "You should be back home on Caldera with the rest of us."

"I like it here." I replied.

"Yeah, but you said it yourself; they don't get aliens." Scarlet reasoned. "Do you really wanna live on a planet where you're an outcast?"

"I'm not an outcast." I insisted. "As much as I miss you ad everybody else back on Caldera, I'm part of a team here. They need me."

"Okay. I get it." Scarlet nodded in understanding before grimacing and rubbing her stomach. "I'm gonna go lay down. My stomach hurts. I think I ate too slow or something."

"Okay." I replied, leaning back on the chair and grabbing one of Bree's magazines from the side table. Scarlet went inside as I began to look over the pictures.

** Dani's POV **

"I got you a veggie sandwich." I announced as Kaz and I stepped out of the hyperlift. Chase was bent over something at the other end of the lab.

"You still working on your little robo-chick?" Kaz questioned. Chase stepped to the side and revealed a tall, pretty, blonde haired girl. "Whoa."

"Is that her?" I questioned, amazed. Chase nodded.

"Yep. Her name is Cyborg 45172, but I think Christina sounds catchier." He replied. "Think her and Oliver will hit it off?"

"No." "Absolutely." Kaz and I replied at the same time. Chase and I looked at him.

"Look, she's cute and all, but does she actually work?" Kaz questioned.

"Of course. I was designed by the smartest man in the world, and the most handsome." Christina replied. Kaz and I stared at her for a moment.

"But you can't program a girl to like someone." Kaz insisted incredulously. "I mean, science and love don't really mix."

"Of course I can." Chase retorted.

"Prove it." Kaz challenged. "Get her to like me."

"Fine." Chase agreed, a confident smirk on his face. I sighed.

"Maybe Calla was right…this is not going to end well." I muttered to myself.

** Skylar's POV **

"So I'm coming to you, Scarlet, her best friend to make Skylar realize that I'm not going to wait around forever." I smirked, watching Oliver try and convince Scarlet to get me to go out with him. "I'm in high demand by girls all over this planet. So, if she doesn't scoop up old Ollie Boy right now-" I cleared my throat, getting his attention, and he panicked. "Uh, no Scarlet! I will not date you." He looked at me. "Can you believe her, trying to steal your man?"

"Oliver." I said, amused.

"Yes, my love?" He looked at me hopefully. I jerked my head at the stairs.

"Get out." I told him. He sighed.

"Alright." He agreed reluctantly, heading up stairs. Scarlet sighed and got off the couch.

"I should probably be going to." She decided.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, confused. "You just got here."

"I know, and I wish I could stay, but I have important business back on Caldera." She explained apologetically. "Skylar, just come with me. It'll be like old times. You know you miss it."

"I do, but I told you, I can't." I reminded her. She sighed.

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" She implored.

"No. I'm sorry, but my decision is final." I shook my head. She nodded, disappointed.

"Then I'm sorry too." She apologized. I smiled, confused.

"For what?" I questioned. She gave me a solemn look.

"For this." She thrust her arm forward, and a blast of energy exploded from it. It hit me in the chest, hard, and that was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

** Xxx **

When I awoke, I was lying on a hard, red floor, heat coming off it in waves. Confused, I got to my feet and looked around. It looked like I was in a cave made of rock, maybe lava rock if I had to guess. There was a TV screen mounted on one side of the cave, and at the other end, the end with the entrance, there were thick, metal bars in a crisscross formation, preventing my escape.

" _Welcome home, Skylar."_  Scarlet's face appeared on the screen.

"I'm on Caldera?" I should have guessed just by looking at the rocks. "Scarlet, why did you bring me here?"

" _There's been a war between the old leadership, who believe we should use our powers to help others throughout the universe, and the opposition, who believe we should keep all Calderans here and only help ourselves."_  She explained. No wonder she was so desperate to get me here.

"So you brought me here to help you fight the opposition." I realized. To my surprise, she shook her head.

" _No. I AM the opposition."_  She corrected. I stared at her, confused.

"What?" I demanded.

" _We control this planet now."_  Scarlet clarified with a smile.

"And you think that you can just force me into joining your side?" I demanded incredulously.

" _You are a hero to our people, Skylar. If you're off wasting your powers on Earth, it makes the opposition look bad."_  She told me.  _"Your rightful place is here."_

"No, it's not." I retorted before spinning around to blast open the cage. To my shock, when I raised my hands, I found I could not access my powers. Nothing would happen, no matter how hard I tried.

" _I knew you'd resist, so I put you in a cell that disables your powers. But you'll come around; we can be very convincing."_  Scarlet decided.

"I will never join the opposition!" I spat, furious. How dare she kidnap me and try to force me to betray my own beliefs! Scarlet smiled coldly.

" _Like I said, we can be very convincing."_  She insisted before the screen turned dark, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

** Oliver's POV **

After spending about half an hour searching the penthouse, I finally found Calla and Bree on the veranda, discussing what day would work out the best for dress shopping, presumably for the wedding. "Guys, I need your help." I told them, running out to meet them. Both girls grinned.

"You want us to lay down a little rap for your next song?" Bree inquired.

"We've got skills." Calla added brightly.

"No. Skylar left." When they didn't react, I added, "for good."

"What?" They exchanged looks. "Oliver, what are you talking about?"

"There's a video message." I explained. "Come on."

** Xxx **

Once we reached mission command, I had MISS replay the message. Skylar's face appeared on the screen, a serious look on her face.  _"Hey guys, I know this is going to be a surprise, but I've decided to return home with Scarlet and live on Caldera."_ She told us.  _"I'm going to miss all of you, but you have to understand that this what's best for me. I wanted to say goodbye in person, but it was just too hard. I'm sorry."_

Bree and Calla wore expressions of surprise, equal to the one I'd had on my face when I saw the message the first time. "How could she leave like that?" Bree questioned.

"I know." I agreed, heartbroken. How could she just abandon us like that? "I always imagined that if she went home, she'd wave to me from the deck of a cruise ship as she slowly pulled out of port."

"Why would she be on a cruise ship if she's going to another planet?" Calla questioned.

"Because she's Skylar and she's perfect and she likes boats." I snapped. She gave me a surprised look, but didn't comment.

"Something's off." Bree commented, concerned. "This doesn't seem like something she would do."

"Bree's right. She wouldn't just abandon the team like that." Calla frowned. She looked at us. "We were talking earlier about going shopping next week, and she didn't mention anything."

"Let's check the video again." I suggested. "MISS, would you please?"

" _Of course."_  MISS replied. She began to play the video, but I had her stop after barely a moment.

"Look at the time stamp." I told them, pointing at the bold 13:35 PM. "That's 1:35, right?"

"I saw her and Scarlet at two, and neither of them said anything about leaving." Bree commented.

"And all her stuff is still up in her room." I added. Both girls looked at me sharply. "I was trying to find her, okay?"

"You know, call me crazy, but isn't it weird coincidence that one of Skylar's friends from Caldera shows up, and then, all of a sudden, she just decides to leave without a warning?" Calla said thoughtfully, her mind racing.

"You think Scarlet took her against her will?" I questioned. Calla nodded.

"If what Dani says is true, this wouldn't be the first time a friend of Skylar's from Caldera tried to kidnap her." She commented. I nodded, remembering when we first realized that Experion was evil. "MISS, how did Skylar seem when she left?"

" _I'm afraid my system was shut down before she and Miss Scarlet left. It was reactivated only half an hour ago."_  The AI replied. Calla cursed under her breath.

"Okay, I don't care if it takes me six hours, I'm giving you an upgrade tonight." She declared. She looked at us. "Scarlet had to have been the one to shut down her system, though."

"There's only one way to find out." I decided. Without explaining, I walked into the storage room, grabbed a brown box off the shelf we'd reserved for Mighty Med tech, and brought it back out to the girls. "We can use my wormhole transporter. If I set it to Caldera, we can be there in seconds."

"I'll call the guys." Bree offered, pulling out her phone. She dialed a number, then waited. A second later, the sound of my song for Skylar filled the air, coming from consol. Three cell phones lay discarded there.

"Aw, Kaz made my song his ringtone." I smiled, touched. "Now, I know he's mocking me, but I'm flattered."

"They all left their phones here." Calla sighed.

" _Dee? Where are you guys? It's important."_ I contacted my sister telepathically.

" _Uh…how important? Chase needed some parts for a project and he couldn't get them into town, so we drove to Rockford."_  She replied apologetically.  _"I'm sorry, Ollie, but if this is time sensitive, don't wait for us."_

" _Just get back as soon as you can. It could be nothing, but we might need your help."_  I told her before turning to the others. I said aloud, "They left town for a shopping trip. Even with good traffic, they're an hour away. They said not to wait."

"Alright, let's go." Bree nodded. I pulled a few circular patches out of the box, along with the wormhole transporter, and handed them each one.

"They're atmospheric regulator patch." I explained. "They even out body temperatures in extreme climates. But heads up, side effects may include drowsiness, nausea, and sudden death."

They exchanged looks, but put the regulator patches on their shoulders. "Sounds fun." Calla commented sarcastically. I grinned and held up my arms.

"Shall we do this?" I offered. They both smiled and linked their arms with mine. I hit the button on the wormhole transporter, and a blue, swirling wormhole formed around us. Everything went white for a moment, and then we were staring out at a vast landscape of red rocks and sand, a large volcano in the background.

"Whoa." Calla stepped away from me, a wide smile on her face. "We're on an alien planet."

"We landed in the middle of nowhere." Bree complained. "I thought it would be more…I don't know, futuristic."

"This whole planet looks like this." I commented. "This is downtown."

"We're on an alien planet." Calla was still absolutely amazed. She started as a Calderan girl, identical to Skylar, walked past her. More girls walked past us, chatting animatedly.

"Okay, that is so strange." Bree commented, watching them.

"Or is it so right?" I sighed, watching the beautiful goddesses walk by.

"Oliver, focus." Bree warned. She glanced back at Calla, who was busy studying a rock formation. "C'mon nerd girl, you too."

"But…this is incredible." Calla grinned, eyes alit with excitement. Bree sighed.

"You can look at the pretty rocks later." She told her best friend teasingly. Calla sighed before nodding in agreement. "Alright. We do not talk to anyone until we know what's going on, alright?"

"Don't worry. Calderans are very friendly." I reassured her.

"Really? Because if I'm not mistaken, those are sacrificial lava pits." Calla pointed out, gesturing at several lava pools that were fenced off from the public.

"Let's just find Skylar, and get out of here." Bree decided. I nodded.

"Trust me; I know exactly how to find her." I told them before approaching a Calderan girl. "Skylar?" I asked hopefully.

"No." She replied, walking away. I nodded, then tried again, going up to a pair of girls near a rock formation.

"Skylar?" I inquired. They walked away, so I tried again.

** Xxx **

After about twenty minutes, the girls lost their patience with me. "Okay, this isn't working!" Bree exclaimed in frustration. "That was the 86th Skylar who isn't Skylar."

"Although, I did meet a Betty who seemed moderately interested." I grinned. They gave me annoyed looks. "Well, what do you suggest then?"

"You!" We spun around to see a Calderan girl, wearing a grey toga. I figured maybe it was a uniform of some sort, seeing as many of the Calderans we'd seen had been wearing them.

"Skylar?" I asked hopefully. She glared at me and shook her head slowly. "Betty?"

"Scarlet." Calla realized. I gulped nervously.

"How did you get here?" Scarlet demanded.

"That is none of your business." "With this wormhole transporter." Bree and I replied at the same time. Scarlet raised her hand and blasted a ball of energy at the wormhole transporter in my hand. It crumpled into pieces when the attack hit it.

"With that wormhole transporter." I corrected.

"Where's Skylar?" Calla demanded.

"Locked up in a subterranean cell. But don't worry; you'll be joining her soon enough." She sneered.

"We're not going anywhere with you." Bree snapped.

"Yes, you are." Scarlet replied. She spread her hands apart and formed a ball of red energy, similar to the balls of electricity my sister usually makes, but twice as large. But Bree reacted before she could attack us. For a moment, her entire body glowed green, then a wave of energy burst from the speedster and hit Scarlet right in the chest. The force of the blast sent her flying through the sky and into a cloud of smoke coming from the volcano.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, shocked. Bree stared at her hands, then turned to Calla with a grin.

"I think I just discovered another hidden ability!" She beamed.

"Thermonuclear body blasts? Oh, that is so going to come in handy." Calla complimented. "But I thought you unlocked all of your hidden abilities?"

"Apparently, we missed one." Bree grinned. She looked at me. "Now let's go find Skylar."

"Good idea." I agreed. I looked around and ran over to a Calderan girl who looked familiar. "Hey, which way to the subterranean cells?" She pointed to the left. "Thanks, Betty. You're one in a million."

"My name is Jennifer." She retorted, offended, before running off. I looked at Bree and Calla, who shrugged at me, and we ran in the direction Jennifer had pointed.

** Skylar's POV **

"Skylar!" I looked up, surprised when I thought I heard Oliver's voice. I mean, there was no possible way for him to be here, right? But to my surprise, Oliver stopped in front of the bars of my cell, a relieved smile on his face. He looked over his shoulder. "Guys! She's in here!"

Calla and Bree ran out from the rocky tunnels behind him. Oliver went to grab at the bars, but stopped when they hummed and electricity ran across them. "I am so glad to see you guys." I smiled, getting to my feet.

"How do we know you're really you?" Bree questioned. Oliver grinned and turned to me.

"Kiss me." He suggested. I shook my head.

"No thank you?" I replied. He nodded and turned back to Bree and Calla.

"It's really her." He assured them.

"How did you guys know I was here?" I questioned, confused.

"Scarlet left a goodbye message, pretending to be you." Calla explained. I scoffed.

"And she thought that would work? She looks nothing like me." I was WAY prettier. Bree, Calla, and Oliver shared amused looks.

"Let's just get you out of here, okay?" Oliver smiled at me. He looked at the cage as if he was trying to formulate a plan, but before he could propose anything, the TV screen behind me sparked to life.

"Get away from her." Scarlet said, sounding peeved.

"We're not leaving without her." Oliver retorted. I smiled at him gratefully.

"You humans," Scarlet rolled her eyes, disgusted. "You always think you can do whatever you want. But you're on Caldera now."

"If you're so tough, why don't you come out here and fight us face to face?" Bree challenged. Scarlet smirked.

"Because I don't have to." She replied. The screen went dark, and the rest of us exchanged confused looks.

"Well that's not ominous or scary at all." Calla commented sarcastically, just as a rumbling sound started to come from the earth. It slowly got louder and louder, making us uneasy.

"What's that noise?" Bree demanded, looking at the ground as if she expected it to break open and swallow the three of them up.

"I have no idea." Calla replied. Suddenly, at the end of the of the tunnel, the rocky ground rose up and fell, moving like a wave towards them. It grew as it charged towards them, and once it finally hit, too quickly to allow them time to escape, it hit them with enough power to throw them into the nearest wall. They all hit the ground, unmoving.

"No!" I screamed, lunging forward, but I couldn't even touch the bars. "Oliver! Bree, Calla!"

There was no reply.

** Xxx **

Twenty minutes later, they started showing signs of returning to consciousness. First a groan from Bree, then Oliver rolling onto his hands and knees, blinking away the stars that were surely dancing around his head.

"Twice in one week." Calla muttered, her hands clutching the back of her head. She gave me a look. "What is with you Calderans and throwing me into walls?"

"It's the national sport here." I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"What happened?" Bree asked, getting to her feet.

"Scarlet used her powers to trigger some kind of subterranean shock wave. You're lucky be alive." I told them.

"Scarlet's going to be back any minute. We have to get out of here." Oliver decided. He looked at me. "Use your powers to form a space portal and take us back to Earth."

"I can't. The force running through those bars are blocking our powers." I commented.

"What about your new ability? Your thermonuclear blast?" Calla questioned, turning to Bree.

"I don't know. In a space this tiny, I might end up blasting all of us." She worried. "Plus, if those bars block powers, it could make my blast bounce off it and back at us, or something."

"Fair point." Calla agreed. "And Scarlet destroyed the wormhole transporter, so we're stuck on Caldera. Never thought I'd complain about being stuck on another planet, but this sucks."

" _It's your own fault for coming here."_  Scarlet's face appeared on the screen once again.

"There are a million other Calderans. Why do you need Skylar?" Bree demanded, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, you don't want her. Take Bree." Oliver offered. Bree looked at him, offended. "Look, someone's gotta take the hit, and to be honest, we can hide your disappearance from Jaden a hell of a lot longer than we can Calla's from Chase."

"He has a point." Calla commented softly. Bree turned on her. "Not that we are leaving anyone behind."

"Scarlet's a part of the opposition, and they want me to help them take over the planet." I explained to my friends.

" _And once we do, Caldera will finally be powerful enough to rule the universe."_  Scarlet added. Bree smiled.

"You know what? I totally hear you, and I really respect your drive." The speedster complimented her, before pointing at herself, Calla, and Oliver. "But where do we fit in on your little to-do list?"

" _Oh, I'm not in control of your fates."_  Scarlet smiled coldly.  _"Skylar is."_

Oliver sent me a confused look, but I was as in the dark as they were. "What do you mean?" I asked.

" _It's simple. Join the opposition, and I'll release them."_  My ex-friend promised.

"And if I don't?" I challenged.

" _Then you'll watch as I destroy them, slowly and painfully."_  I watched my friends flinch at the thought, though they all tried to hide it.  _"The choice is yours, Skylar. Let's see how much you really care about your human friends."_

The screen went dark once more. "Okay, that is it." Calla muttered before looking around for something.

"I can't believe we're about to be killed by your alien bestie." Oliver muttered. He gave me a sad look. "You know, sometimes I wish you were just a simple girl from the mid-West."

"Calla, what are you doing?" Bree questioned suddenly. I looked up to see Calla using a rock to bang on the metal bar that held the TV screen in place.

"She's pissing me off, so I'm taking away her TV." The genius insisted.

"Oh, let me help." Bree grabbed a rock off the ground. She clutched it tight, then threw it as hard as she could at the screen. It hit it directly in the middle, cracking it. "Done."

"Perfect." Calla smiled.

"Decision time, Skylar." We all spun around to see Scarlet on the other side of the bars. Apparently, Bree and Calla's idea to get rid of the TV didn't phase her. "Decision time, Skylar. What's it going to be?"

"Give it up. She's never going to join you." Calla retorted. I sighed.

"Actually, I am." This wasn't even a choice. I wasn't going to let them die. They were friends, my family. In a few short months, Calla and Bree had become some of the closest friends I'd ever, and if I was being honest with myself, Oliver been close to my heart for a very long time. If I joined the opposition now, I could figure out a way how to escape later, but if she killed them…I couldn't bring them back from the dead. That was one power I didn't have.

"What?" Oliver looked at me, shocked.

"It's a small price to pay for saving your lives." I reasoned.

"But-" He tried to protest, but I shook my head.

"I made up my mind, Oliver. This is what I have to do." I walked past him and up to the bars. "I'm ready to join you."

"Good choice." Scarlet nodded appreciatively. "But before I let you out, I need to know you're serious."

"I gave you my word. Isn't that enough?" I questioned, annoyed.

"No." She shook her head. "In order to prove your allegiance to the opposition, I'll need to permanently remove your power to create space portals."

In other words, I had to give up my only way back to Earth forever. Even if I could escape the opposition, there'd be no going back to my friends.

"You can't do that." I shook my head. But this was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to take away the one thing she knew I loved more than anything in the world – my new home.

"Yeah, take her time-traveling power instead." Oliver suggested. I looked at him, confused.

"I don't have a time-travelling power." I informed him.

"She didn't know that." He muttered. Oh, right.

"Are you with us or not?" Scarlet questioned. I sighed.

"Do whatever you have to do." I agreed sullenly.

"We'll never see you again." Calla warned me. I nodded.

"I know." It took all my willpower to keep my voice from breaking. This would be the end of all of it. There'd be no more movie nights will Oliver, no more video game lessons from Kaz, and no morning jogs with Dani. No more manicures with Bree, or listening to Chase lecture about science, or Calla trying to explain human things to me. I was giving up all of it…if only I'd ignored Scarlet's email in the first place. I took a deep breath, then turned to Scarlet. "Go ahead."

She snapped her fingers and the bars lost their power. Slowly, hesitantly, I stretched my arm through the bars. She pulled out a device from her pocket, held it above my hand, and pressed a button. A red light from it shined down on my palm, and I felt an uncomfortable, almost painful sensation run through my veins as my power to create portals was drained from me. When it was over, I drew my hand back, holding it in my other. Scarlet smiled at me.

"Welcome to the opposition."

** Oliver's POV **

"What is taking so long?" Bree questioned, impatiently pacing the cell. "Skylar agreed to join the opposition, so why hasn't Scarlet released us yet?"

"Maybe she's making us dinner." I offered, trying to be helpful. "It would be rude to send us home without a meal."

"I wonder…what do Calderans eat?" Calla thought aloud. "I never did ask Skylar. But with this kind of atmosphere, most human plants would be impossible to grow, and I doubt they've got the same kinds of animals-"

"Dude." Bree looked at her. Calla shrugged.

"What?" She questioned. "I may be a cool nerd, but I'm still a nerd, and I'm on an alien planet. It would be strange if I didn't ask these questions."

"I don't think Scarlet's ever going to let us out of here." Bree continued, shaking her head. "We have to contact Kaz, Dai, and Chase somehow."

"I still can't reach Dee telepathically." I told them. "But I do have my phone."

"We're on another planet. We're not going to get a signal." Calla pointed out.

"Are you sure? My carrier says their coverage is out of this world, so I'm taking them at their word." I replied. But as Calla said, I couldn't get a single bar. However, something else caught my eye. "Hey, look. It's asking if I want to join the Calderan Wi-Fi network."

"Skylar did say her planet had email." Bree grinned. I quickly access the Wi-Fi and turned on my email, but received a blocked message, stating that my email was invalid. "Crap. We're going to need Skylar's email and her password."

"That's easy." I replied, typing in her email, and then her password. "Her password is ConValCalderan."

"How'd you know that?" Calla questioned.

"Long story." I replied dismissively as I typed out an email to my sister. She had hooked her email up to the superhero network and thus was checking her email more often than the rest of us. I figured if anyone would get it, it would be her. I just prayed she would.

** Dani's POV **

Okay, so maybe Calla and Chase were right. This good idea had gone to a bad and bizarre one in the blink of an eye. I mean, it started out with Chase getting one robot to like Kaz, but then being unable to fix the program so that she liked anyone aside from Kaz. And the rest of the attempts to recreate the process and fix the problem had just led to my boyfriend being pampered by eight, hot, female robots. Which I honestly wouldn't have had a problem with (I mean, they ARE robots, and the only reason Kaz was still playing this out was to annoy the hell out of Chase), except that they wouldn't let me anywhere near him.

"Tell me again just how great I am." Kaz sighed happily, leaning back on the couch.

"You're the best." All eight Christinas cooed lovingly. Chase rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"What have I done?" He muttered to himself. Suddenly, I heard my phone beep. I looked over at where it lay on the table, the screen lit up to show that I'd received an email. Maybe it was from Alivia. She'd promised to send me some information sometime this week.

"Hey, Kaz, can you pass me my phone?" I requested, not wanting to get up.

"NO!" I flinched when all the Christinas turned their glares on me.

"…I'll get it myself." I said softly, reaching over for my phone. Kaz looked over at the girls, then at Chase.

"Okay, you know, I love it when girls are into me and stuff, but do they have to be so aggressive?" He questioned the older boy.

"I programmed them to be overly territorial and loyal." Chase explained.

"Why?" Kaz questioned as I opened up my email.

"Well, they're supposed to be for Oliver, and I wasn't sure if he'd ever have another chance with a girl, so I figured I should make them so they'd never want to leave him." Chase explained. I frowned, looking at my email inbox.

"I just got an email from Skylar." I commented, frowning. I opened it up and read it. "Oh no."

"What's wrong?" Kaz questioned, confused.

"Scarlet's evil, Skylar's being blackmailed, and Calla, Bree, and Ollie are being held captive in Caldera." I summarized.

"Who are Scarlet, Skylar, Calla, and Bree?" The Christinas grilled Kaz. He gulped.

"Librarian friends. Very frumpy." He lied. Chase frowned.

"Caldera? Skylar's home planet?" He confirmed. Kaz and I both nodded. "How'd they even get there?"

"They must have used Ollie's wormhole transporter." I decided.

"I've got mine in mission command." Kaz offered. "I'll go get it."

"I'm going with him!" The blonde haired Christina declared. The rest of them soon chimed in, deciding that they too would help him retrieve the wormhole transporter. He gave me an apologetic look as he led them to the hyperlift, but I laughed it off, amused.

"As if you're not enjoying this." I commented.

** Oliver's POV **

Eventually, Scarlet came to meet us, wearing her grey toga uniform. She had a sad expression on her face for some reason, but I was more concerned with the fact that Skylar was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Skylar?" I demanded, concerned that something had gone wrong while they were gone. Well, worse than what had already happened.

"It's me." She told us, trying to trick us. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't even try it, Scarlet." I retorted. "Skylar's beautiful. You look like a tired old she-beast."

And then I saw Scarlet, the real Scarlet, step out from behind the Calderan in front of me. "Oliver?" Bree pointed to her, as if I didn't see her.

"So that's Scarlet?" Oops. Skylar nodded, unamused. "Which mean you're…"

"She-beast." She confirmed. I gulped.

"Um, what I said…I didn't mean…" I accidently leaned on the metal bars and received a painful zap. I jumped back, rubbing my arm. "Okay, I deserved that one."

"Let them go, Scarlet." Skylar turned back to her ex-best friend. "I joined your side. You have what you want. Now it's time to honor your end of the agreement."

"Yeah, and if you don't let us out right now-" Bree began. Suddenly, we were standing outside the cell, having been transported by Scarlet. "Thank you."

"Skylar, you don't have to do this." Calla told her. "We could have found another way." She insisted.

"It's okay." Skylar promised her, pulling her into a hug. "Say goodbye to Kaz, Dani, and Chase, would you? Tell them I'm sorry that I let down the team."

"You didn't. Not at all. But I'll tell them what you said." The genius promised. Skylar hugged Bree next.

"Try and keep them all from getting into too much trouble, okay?" She made the speedster promise.

"Someone's got to." Bree agreed. Skylar turned to hug me goodbye next, but I didn't let her.

"I can't just leave you here." I shook my head. She bit her lip.

"Oliver…" She tried, but I refused to listen.

"You mean everything to me, and you know that." She'd known my feeling for her for a long time. "And I'm not just going to abandon you."

"There's no other way. I'm sorry." She told me apologetically, voice shaking slightly. She took a breath before continuing. "For what it's worth, Oliver…I like you too."

"Really?" She knew what those words meant to me. She didn't just mean like a friend, right? She couldn't.

"Let's go." Scarlet tapped her foot impatiently. I glowered at her.

"Stick a sock in it, space hag. I've waited a lifetime for this." I snapped. Skylar smiled at me, a bittersweet curve of her lips.

"Goodbye, Oliver." She told me, before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my cheek. "I'll never forget you. Any of you."

How could I leave her now?

"Good." Scarlet cleared her throat, clearly thinking out farewell had finished. "Now that that's over with, we can finally get you useless humans off our planet."

She raised her hand and a red space portal formed behind us. "Oliver, come on." Calla touched my shoulder and jerked her head towards the space portal. I looked at her for a moment, then made a split-second decision.

"No! She's coming with us!" I lunged forward and tried to grab Skylar's hand, intending on dragging her through the portal with us before Scarlet could stop us, but Scarlet reacted faster than I'd thought she would. She closed the portal, then hit me a blast of energy in the chest. I dropped to the ground, feeling my ribs crack under the force.

"Oliver!" Skylar shouted, spinning around and blasting Scarlet. The villainous alien deflected it, then trapped the four of us in a force field as Bree and Calla helped me back up to my feet. I took a shuddering breath, not liking how hard it was to do so.

"How could you attack me, Skylar?" Scarlet looked genuinely hurt and surprised, then her expression turned to one of disgust. "You're a disgrace. You just proved that you'll always choose humans over your own, and for that, you'll all be destroyed in the Calderan lava pits."

** Xxx **

Always the drama queen, Scarlet had decided to force us into a metal, power-nullifying cage so that she could slowly lower us into the lava pits, rather than just push us in.

"You picked a great time to visit." She complimented. "The lava pits are in full bubble this time of year. Take a moment to enjoy the view before I dump you in for a closer look."

"Okay, look. If we're about to die, I have to get this off my chest." Bree fixed Scarlet with a stare. "The way you eat, it's not normal."

"Yes, Bree, that's a great idea." Calla commented, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Taunt the unstable girl who is dangling us over a lava pit."

"Where are Kaz, Dani, and Chase? They should have gotten our email by now!" Bree exclaimed, frustrated.

"Maybe I could use my super strength to bend the bars." I offered, trying to be helpful.

"Don't bother. This cage is just like the cell – it blocks our powers." Skylar pointed out. "Bree, what about your bionics?"

"Um, the only thing I have that could do anything useful is my thermonuclear body blast, and there's no way I could use it safely in here. I'd destroy the whole cage, with us in it." She shook her head.

"Calla, what weapons do you have on you?" I questioned. She sighed, an angry look in her eyes.

"None. I didn't have time to grab anything before we left." She sighed. "God, I should have known better too. I haven't left home without a weapon in almost three years."

"Great. We're screwed." I muttered. All I'd wanted to do was save Skylar, and now all four of us were going to die.

** Dani's POV **

"Did you have to bring them?" I questioned as we all arrived on Caldera. And by all, I meant me, Chase, Kaz, and the eight robot girls that refused to stay behind.

"It's not my fault; they follow me everywhere." Kaz protested. I gave him a look. "Hey, none of this would have happened if you'd just gotten Oliver a gift card like I suggested!"

"Dani, just find out where the others are." Chase ordered. I tried to contact Ollie, but to my confusion, it was like there was an invisible wall cutting us off from each other.

"I'm not getting anything." I told Chase apologetically. He nodded.

"It's alright. I can locate Bree through her bionic GPS." He assured me, raising a couple of fingers to his temple. I looked back at Kaz, who was trying to find a way to stand comfortable with 8 girls stuck to him like glue.

"This isn't going to work." I pointed out. Kaz nodded in agreement.

"Hey, ladies, do you know what's always great on the hottest, driest planet in the universe? A nice tall glass of water." Kaz told them. They all nodded, but didn't move. "I'm asking for water."

"Water!" They all exclaimed at once, and tore off in different directions to find him that water.

"You could have made t hem a little smarter, you know." I mentioned to Chase. He shrugged, then nodded approvingly at Kaz.

"Good call." He complimented. "Caldera only consists of 0.002% water. They've got a better chance of solving the quantum physics general relativity conundrum."

He chuckled as if it was supposed to be funny, but Kaz and I just looked at him blankly. "In the right company, that's a joke."

"Well, let's go find Calla and see if that's true." I suggested. He nodded and jerked his head at a rocky tunnel.

"Bree's GPS is coming from this direction." He informed us, beginning to lead us towards our friends.

** Skylar's POV **

"I've kept you in here long enough." Scarlet decided, walking back into the tunnel. "It's time."

"To catch the 5 o'clock wormhole back to Earth?" Oliver questioned hopefully. When she gave him a cold look, I tried once more to change her mind.

"Scarlet, please don't do this." I begged her. "We've been friends all our lives. Doesn't that count for something?"

"You tell me." She retorted. "Shouldn't our friendship make you more loyal to me than these outsiders? By attacking me, you not only betrayed one of your own, but you betrayed all Calderans, and that can never be forgiven."

"Are you sure?" Oliver tried. "A nice fruit basket goes a long way."

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Goodbye, Skylar."

"Wait!" Suddenly, Kaz ran out from the tunnel behind her. He paused, looking at the cage. "Ooh, a death cage over a lava pit. Nice. I wanna save them, but I sorta wanna see how this plays out."

"Kaz!" Calla snapped.

"Right, sorry." Kaz apologized as Dani and Chase followed him out of the tunnel.

"You two take Scarlet." Chase ordered Dani and Kaz. "I'll free them."

Kaz nodded, then punched the air, shooting a fireball towards Scarlet. She dodged that with ease, and while she had a little trouble, she managed to avoid the ball of electricity that Dani shot at her next.

"Don't worry guys. I'll get you out of there." Chase promised us, approaching the cage. He raised on hand to his temple, and the other he outstretched towards the cage. After a moment, the lock on the cage door began to turn until it clicked.

"Yes." Bree smiled, pushing open the door and carefully stepping onto the rock ground a foot away. Meanwhile, Scarlet was using a rock to protect herself from Kaz and Dani's team up attacks, one sending one blast of their power the moment the other's hit their target, making it nearly impossible for her to move.

The moment we were all safely out of the cage, Dani and Kaz fell back, lining up with us. Scarlet approached us, but Calla stepped forward, a confident smirk on her face. "She's mine." She declared before any of us could stop her. She raised one hand and a proton disk formed in her hand, much to everyone else's shock. Calla didn't wait for anyone to say anything, instead spinning around to give herself more momentum, then releasing the disk at the last moment. It hit Scarlet in the chest, throwing her into the air. My ex-best friend hit a rock wall, hard enough to crack it, and fell to the ground, winded.

The others all stared at either Calla or Scarlet for a long moment before Chase finally spoke up. "What the hell was that?"

"My proton disks." Calla replied smugly. She cast him a playful look. "Oh, did I not tell you I have superpowers now?"

"No." He retorted, clearly stunned. He looked at Kaz. "Did you know about this?"

"I want to say yes just to piss you off, but I had no idea." The pyrokinetic replied.

"Why don't we talk about this after we get out of here?" I suggested. Dani nodded and turned to her boyfriend.

"Where's your wormhole transporter?" She questioned.

"Oh, I put it down other there." He gestured vaguely near a rock. "I don't like to fight with stuff in my pockets."

"Go get it!" Oliver insisted. Kaz rolled his eyes, but obediently walked over to the rock and picked his wormhole transporter off the ground.

"See. I got it." He assured us. Suddenly, Scarlet pushed herself off the ground, having recovered from Calla's attack far quicker than we expected, and tackled Kaz from the side. They both hit the ground, where Scarlet wrestled the device from his hands.

"No, I got it." She announced, holding it out of our reach.

"Hey!" A voice shouted, and eight teenage girls randomly walked out of the shadows. "Nobody messes with our Kaz!"

We all watched in bewilderment as the girls grabbed at Scarlet, using her surprise to retrain her. "Wait, what?"

Dani turned to Oliver with a grin. "Happy birthday." She told him, only managing to confuse him more.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking at the others for an explanation.

"Long story short: they're robots and they love me." Kaz explained.

"Skylar!" Scarlet screamed as the girls lifted her off her feet and began carrying her towards the lava pits. "Please! Help me!"

"Oh, so now you want my help? Five minutes ago, you were going to kill me!" I reminded her.

"The opposition forced me to. I had no choice." She begged. "Please help me."

I sighed. I had to be the better person here, right? That's what heroes did. "Put her down." I told the robots. They didn't comply.

"Oh, right. It's got to be me." Kaz remembered. "Put her down, girls."

The girls dropped Scarlet like a sack of potatoes before walking back over to Kaz. "Thank you." Scarlet told us sincerely, getting up.

"You're welcome. Now hand over the transponder." I held my hand out for her to give it to me, but she shook her head, a cruel smirk on her face.

"No." She refused, much to my disappointment. I mean, I figured it could go both ways, but I'd really hoped she'd turn to our side. "You're pathetic. I knew you didn't have the guts to hurt me. You've become just as weak as the humans you surround yourself with."

"Scarlet, give us the transporter." Chase told her, glaring at the girl.

"No. You're on my planet now." Scarlet began walking backwards, trying to make more space between us and her. "And I control what happ-AHH!"

She stumbled as she hit the end of the rock floor and fell backwards into the pit, dropping the wormhole transporter as she fell. We all rushed forwards in time to see her fall into the lava, never to resurface.

"Ouch." Bree winced sympathetically.

"I offered her a fruit basket. She could be eating peaches right now." Oliver commented. I smiled at him gratefully, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood.

"Let's go." I decided, picking the wormhole transporter off the ground.

** Oliver's POV **

"Oh yeah! Biggest group wormhole ever!" Kaz celebrated when we reached the penthouse.

"It's good to be back." Bree sighed, collapsing onto the couch.

"Just in time too. I promised I'd video chat with my mom." Kaz remembered, heading for the hyperlift. The robot girls followed him.

"Who's Mom?" They demanded. He groaned, even as they shot down to mission command. I looked at my sister.

"That's my birthday gift?" I guessed, based off her comment from earlier. She nodded, as sheepish smile on her face. "Thanks, but no thanks Dee."

"Yeah, it didn't quite turned out as planned." She agreed. She sighed. "I'm going to go try and make sure they realize who's number one in his life."

"Good luck." Calla called after her as my sister entered the hyperlift. She looked at Chase. "So, seriously, I'm gonna for, like, three hours, and you build eight android girlfriends?"

Chase hesitated before answering. "It was Dani's idea, and you said no." He reminded her. She nodded.

"Fair enough." She agreed, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"Hey, what if I asked you to create a bunch of hot robot dudes to worship me?" Bree inquired. Chase shook his head.

"It's not worth it. For some reason, they'll all just like Kaz." He replied. I walked over to Skylar, who had moved to stand at the other end of the room.

"Hey, are you alright?" I figured she probably wasn't, after everything that happened. She shook her head.

"I just can't stop thinking about Caldera." She admitted.

"I am so sorry about Scarlet." I told her apologetically. She nodded softly.

"I just wish I got to her before the opposition did." She replied. "Now that they've torn Caldera apart, it's never going to be the same. My home is gone."

"No, it's not." I assured her. She looked at me sharply, confused. "This is your home. You belong here with us."

"I second that motion." Bree added.

"Third." Chase agreed. Calla smirked.

"It's official; you're stuck with us." She declared. Skylar smiled, touched.

"You sure?" She asked all of us, "I mean, like you said, I'm a crazy alien girl with fourteen toes and really weird habits."

"And we wouldn't have it any other way." Bree assured her.

"And besides, I'm going you to help me with my new superpowers." Calla added.

"Speaking of which," Chase looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was trying to figure out the coolest way to show you." She admitted. "Because as cool as powers are, I'm pretty much playing ultimate Frisbee."

"Emphasis on the ultimate part." Bree added.

"But how did you even get them?" I questioned.

"Skylar knew I wanted more powers, so she acted as a buffer between me and the Arcturion." Calla explained.

"You touched it?" I turned to Skylar, shocked that she would do something so reckless. "You could have been killed."

"I know," She agreed, "But sometimes you have to take a risk to help the ones you care about."

I nodded thoughtfully, then noticed the way she was looking at me. Expectantly, as if she was waiting for me to say something. But what did she want me to…oh. "Kinda like I did for you."

"Wow, he picked up on that quicker than I thought." Bree commented, smirking. Skylar gave me a sweet smile.

"You really stuck up for me today, Oliver. It meant a lot." She told me. I smiled, seeing an opportunity.

"Well, if you wanted to repay me, you could go on a date with me?" I suggested hopefully. She DID say she liked me, so…

She didn't think about it for very long. "One date." She decided. "And we'll see where it goes from there."

I grinned. "Sounds great." I replied, managing to keep it cool. Well, on the outside. I was freaking out on the inside, which was further proven when Dani came up to the main floor to tell me to stop screaming 'she said yes, she said yes' in her head.


	13. Sheep-Shifting

** Kaz's POV **

"Okay, the timer is set. Nothing better than pranking new victims on Halloween." Oliver grinned at me. Ah, Halloween. Most people looked forward to it because of the candy, or the excuse to watch horror films, or even the costumes. But not us. For years now, Oliver, Dani and I had been using this as a second April Fool's day, and this year was no exception. "I can't believe Dee is missing this."

"Sucks for her – this is the perfect opportunity." I added with a grin. I glanced towards the kitchen, where Bree and Chase were grabbing lunch. "Bree just did her hair, and Chase has no sense of humor. What could possibly go wrong?"

"They have no idea what's about to hit them." Oliver agreed as Skylar walked down the stairs. He jumped to his feet to greet her. "Hey, Skylar. I just wanted to remind you about my standing offer for one romantic dinner, and that offer also applies to romantic lunch, breakfast, smoothie, and other select thick beverages."

"Sure." We all looked at her in surprise when she said yes. "How about dinner tonight?"

Oliver sighed, disappointed. "I get it. You're busy. I totally under-wait, did you just say yes?"

"Dude," I looked at him. "You can't do dinner tonight. We have plans." He looked at me, confused. "Annual Halloween pranks? We've been doing them together since we were eight? New victims? Dude, c'mon. Dee already bailed to help Liv out with something – don't you be a flake too."

"I totally forgot that it was Halloween." Skylar told us apologetically. She gave Oliver a smile. 'We can do dinner tomorrow."

"No, no, no! You already said yes. You can't take it back! We're doing this!" He reminded her quickly. He beamed. "She said yes! Alright! Where do I begin?" He raced to the kitchen and pulled a few plates out of the cupboard. Suddenly, the sound of ticking grew louder, became audible, and then, a large blob of pumpkin guts exploded from the cupboard and splattered all over Oliver's shirt. He looked down at the shirt in disgust while the rest of us laughed, then shrugged. "Hey, I still have a date with Skylar. Not even a nose full of pumpkin can change that."

** Xxx **

"Chase, Calla, help!" I screamed, rushing into mission command. The two geniuses were sitting at one of the consols, both of them looking into separate microscopes. I held up my blood hand for them to see. "I was flying around the city and I clipped a radio tower!"

They glanced at me, initially concerned, but then shook their heads. "You'll be fine." Chase assured me. I sighed, realizing that I hadn't fooled them, and pulled off the bloody, rubber hand.

"What gave it away?" I questioned.

"Rubber arm, fake blood, and you have two left hands." Calla replied. I sighed and tossed the rubber hand into the trash.

"Without Oliver and Dani, all my pranks are lame." I complained. "Dani's recipe for fake blood is amazing, second only to Oliver's oozing 'marshmallow pus'."

"You three have a very odd relationship." Chase told us.

"Hey, you guys are smart." I remembered. "You want to help me pull off some pranks?"

"I've got better things to do with my time." Chase replied.

"Yes." I grinned at Calla's response. "But not right now. We've got work to do."

"What are you doing, anyway?" I inquired, curious.

"You remember when Roman and Riker blasted out our windows?" Chase questioned as Calla placed a vial of liquid in a centrifuge. I nodded.

"Of course I remember. The glass got everywhere. I had to throw out a whole bowl of salsa." I replied, still saddened by the loss of the treat.

"Well, we were able to extract their DNA from the flash drive they left behind." Calla continued, not taking her eyes off the centrifuge. "If we can isolate the components of their shape-shifting power, I can replicate it and figure out a way to stop them from using it."

"Then we'll finally get rid of the biggest threat to superheroes this world has ever known." Chase finished. I looked at them, disappointed.

"But it's Halloween!" I protested. Who worked on Halloween?

** Bree's POV **

"Hey," I greeted Dani as I walked into the lobby of Davenport Tower. She was waiting for the elevator, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She looked exhausted, if I had to say. "You just get back?"

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling at me. "I miss much?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." I replied as the doors slid open. We both stepped into the elevator. "So, what did Alivia have you do, anyway?"

"Um, some reconnaissance." She replied. "She wanted some information on a superhero she's trying to recruit."

"You don't seem happy about it." I observed. She sighed irritably.

"She wants me to check out new superheroes, which is always risky. A, they're new, so we have no idea what allegiance they are – I could be following a super-powered serial killer for all I know – and B, with so many superheroes dead, they're bound to be paranoid of anyone following them, so there's like a 4 out of 10 chance that they're going to turn around and attack me." She explained. "Which isn't fun."

"Why can't Alivia do it?" I questioned as we reached our floor. Dani walked past me, slid her key card into the slot, and pushed open the door.

"Because-" We'd barely opened the front door when Perry came running up from behind us, screaming. She raced past us and ducked behind the couch, shaking. Dani and I exchanged looks, then followed her in.

"What's going on, Perry?" I questioned, curious.

"It's Halloween! That means it's my turn to die!" She cried. Dani looked at her, bemused.

"You know, I was gonna go help Ollie and Kaz with their pranks, but this seems a lot more interesting." She declared, tossing her bag onto the couch and sitting down. She smiled at Perry. "You were saying?"

"You may recall that I was a child actor on the hit TV show 'The Little Squirts'." Perry told us, getting out from behind the couch.

"Nope." I replied, shaking my head. She rolled her eyes.

"I'll show you." She grabbed Calla's laptop and typed 'the little squirts' into the search engine. A picture of her as a kid (surprisingly, she hadn't changed very much) along with four other kids. "The series was cancelled after a horrible accident killed an actor on Halloween night."

"We really don't-" I tried to stop her, but she continued anyway.

"Every year since, one more member of the cast and crew has met an untimely fate on Halloween in ways that directly relate to the show." Perry continued. Dani pulled out her phone and began searching for something on the internet. "We once did an episode with a butcher, and then years later, bam! My co-star Cindy McDougall choked on a flank steak! Tonight I realized, I'm the last living cast member. I'm the last Squirt. Death is coming for me; I have to be ready for anything."

"Well, I hope you're ready for this, because I'm kicking you out." I declared.

"No, no! You can't!" Perry begged. I rolled my eyes.

"Perry, relax. You're not going to die." I promised her. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence that a few of your co-workers died on the same day of the year."

"34." Dani corrected. I looked at her and she held up her phone as proof. "34 of her co-workers suffered horrible deaths on the same day, every year."

"Yeah, you might be in trouble." I admitted.

"Which is why you're going to protect me." Perry decided. "I'm not leaving your side until this thing is over!"

"Whoa, wait a minute." Dani stopped her. "Run that by us again?"

"I have to wait until midnight until I'm in the clear, then I can go get candy!" Perry exclaimed happily. Dani and I both shared a reluctant look. "Oh, come on. It'll be fun. Bree, Dani, and Perry, hanging out all night, doing middle-aged lady stuff."

"We're eighteen and twenty." I reminded her. She looked at us.

"Yikes. Time has not been kind to you." She told us.

** Xxx **

Several hours later, and Perry was still following us around, barely giving us any room to breathe. "Okay, Perry, you seriously need to stop! You follow us every time we take a step."

"Then take less steps." Perry retorted as she followed us down the stairs. In the middle of the living room sat a table with a bowl of popcorn on it.

"Aah! Popcorn!" Perry shrieked, ducking behind us.

"Oh, relax. It's obviously just one of Kaz's lame pranks." I gestured at the table. Under the table cloth was a pair of sneakers, visible to anyone with eyes. Dani smirked and leaned in close to the bowl.

"We can see your shoes." She told it. The shoes were pulled back and Kaz's head popped up, poking through the popcorn.

"Worst Halloween ever." He muttered. He looked up at his girlfriend hopefully. "Hey, can you drizzle butter on me?"

** Kaz's POV **

"Hey, guys, you want to help me for a second?" I requested as I stepped into Mission Command, the table and popcorn bowl still sitting on my shoulders.

"I said I'd help you with your pranks later, Kaz." Calla replied, not looking up from the formula she and Chase were working on.

"Oh, this isn't a prank." I replied. "I'm actually stuck."

Chase looked up and sighed, before coming over and helping me out of under the table. "Thanks." I told him. He shook his head, placing the table on the ground. I sighed irritably. "I can't prank you guys, I can't prank Bree. The only ones left are Oliver, Skylar, and Dani, but they know all my tricks. Halloween is ruined."

"Well, you can stay down here with us and help us with some experiments we're running. I'm currently analyzing some of the rocks I brought home from Caldera, if you'd like to help." Calla offered. I laughed.

"I'm not that desperate." I told her. "So, what about your shape-shifty science thing going?"

"We managed to successfully replicate Roman and Riker's powers into a serum." Chase replied proudly. I grinned.

"So, it's ready?" I asked. Calla nodded.

"We think so. But we need something to test it on." She replied.

"I'm going to go dig up some earthworms to try it on." Chase offered, heading for the hyperlift. Just as he disappeared, Calla's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID.

"I gotta take this." She told me, heading out of the room to get better reception. I smirked and walked over to the vial of serum. Oh, this would be the perfect thing to up my pranking game.

"Who needs earthworms when you've got this squirmy little guy right here?" I took the vial and downed it in one shot, forcing myself to swallow the putrid tasting liquid. "I'm sensing that's supposed to be injected, not swallowed."

** Oliver's POV **

"I didn't know you could cook." Skylar commented, taking a bite of her spaghetti. "This is really good. Who taught you?"

"No one." I replied. She looked at me in surprise. "Mom always worked late…or committed crimes late, I guess, so Dee and I were always in charge of making ourselves dinner. After a couple of years, you get the hang of it. And spaghetti's not that hard."

"I just love your Earth cuisine." She commented. "All the stuff on Caldera was hot and tasteless."

"Well, in that case, I'd be happy to cook for you anytime." I assured her. She smiled at placed her hand on top of mine, squeezing it gently. I smiled; this was going perfectly. Dinner on the veranda, underneath the stars, all alone…everything I could have hoped for, and it was all going perfectly.

Suddenly, a loud whirring sound filled the air, and a dark cloud flew above us. "It's Roman and Riker!" Skylar gasped, jumping to her feet.

"Okay, I know they're supervillains, but even for them, this is cruel." I glowered at the cloud, throwing my napkin onto the table. Skylar raised one hand and blasted the cloud. But instead of recovering quickly, like Roman and Riker, it fell to the ground. The cloud came together and merged into…Kaz?

"Ow." He complained, rubbing his chest and briefly giving Skylar a dirty look before bursting into laughter.

"Kaz?!" We both demanded, staring at him.

"Oh, you should have seen the looks on your faces." He laughed whole-heartedly. We continued to stare at him, confused. "Chase and Calla made a shape-shifting serum. All you have to do is think about what form you want to change into. Check it out." His form turned to clouds for a second, then into my sister. "Hi, I'm Dani. I smell pretty." He shapeshifted again, this time into Perry. "Hi, I'm Perry, and I definitely don't smell pretty."

I sighed irritably. Figures that Kaz would interrupt our date. "Big deal. The cyber cloaks can do that."

"No, this is way better." Kaz insisted. "I can turn into anything, not just people. Watch."

He shapeshifted once more, this time turning into a large, smelly sheep. He bleated loudly, looking at us. "Kaz, you're a sheep."

"This is probably the weirdest date I've ever been on." Skylar decided. I sighed.

"Fun's over, Kaz. Switch back so Skylar and I can finish our dinner." I told him. To my annoyance, he refuses to do anything.

"Well, this evening is going as well as expected." We turned to see Chase leaning against the doorframe. Calla walked out onto the veranda.

"Sorry to interrupt guys, but have either of you seen Kaz? We're missing a vial of our shape-shifting serum." She questioned. She frowned. "Also, what's with the sheep?"

"Oh, that's Kaz." I informed her. She and Chase both looked surprised. "He drank your serum, and turned into a sheep."

"No, no, no, no." Chase panicked. Calla sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"That could be problematic." She muttered.

"Why? What's wrong?" Skylar questioned, confused.

"When Roman and Riker shape-shift, they still think like Roman and Riker, but when Kaz changed into a sheep, he took on the mental capacity of a sheep." Chase explained. "And a sheep has a very small mental capacity!"

"Less than Kaz? That seems unlikely." I commented dryly.

"Well, then, just change him back." Skylar suggested, confused as to why they hadn't done so already.

"We…don't know how." Calla admitted, frowning as she looked at Sheep-Kaz.

"Wait, so you mean that Kaz could be stuck like this forever?" I demanded.

"Well, no, not forever." Chase assured me. "Sheep have a very short lifespan."

"Well, we have to figure out a way to turn him back." I insisted.

"Well…" Skylar trailed off. I looked at her. "Well, he's kinda cute, and he's not talking, which is a plus."

"And I don't know how to turn him back." Calla added. I thought about it.

"What if I show him a picture of the real Kaz? Maybe it'll jog his little sheep memory." I suggested. I pulled out my phone, swiped through my photo gallery until I found a picture with Kaz in it, then showed it to Sheep-Kaz. "Hey, buddy, this is you. Pay no attention to the sweater – it's…it's not wool, it's polyester."

Sheep-Kaz bleated at me in response. "It's not working." Calla observed.

"Why won't he turn back?" I questioned, looking back at them.

"I don't know." Chase shook his head, frustrated. "Let's go down to Mission Command and try to find a way to reverse the serum."

"Okay. We'll come." I gave Skylar an apologetic look – this was interrupting our date – but she shrugged, not upset.

"Kaz," She turned to the sheep, then paused. "Uh, stay." She ordered before heading into Mission Command with us.

** Bree's POV **

"And when Tilly Dobson fell off that ladder, down the mountain, and right onto that chainsaw, I knew I was next!" Perry was telling us when we re-entered the penthouse. To our surprise, there was a sheep randomly standing in our living room. "Ah! A sheep! This is it! This is how I'm going to die!"

"It's a sheep." Dani stated the obvious. "Don't be ridiculous – it's harmless."

"Dani's right." I agreed. "Can I explain why there's a sheep in our living room? No, I can not, but it's probably just another one of Kaz's stupid pranks. But that doesn't mean it's here to kill you."

"Just get rid of it before I do!" Perry snapped. Dani took a step in front of the sheep protectively. I sighed.

"You poor thing." I ran my hand through the sheep's fuzzy hair. "Let me get you someplace safe before Kaz gets back."

"Safe, right?" Dani repeated.

"Safe and happy." I promised her before leading the sheep out of the penthouse. There was a carnival in town – they'd have a petting zoo that would love this sheep.

** Oliver's POV **

"Okay, this new serum should turn Sheep-Kaz back into Kaz-Kaz." Chase declared as we reached the main floor of the penthouse. To our surprise, Dani was back, and talking to Perry. No, wait, Kaz! It must be!

"Kaz! You've shapeshifted into Perry!" I exclaimed gleefully. Both of them looked at me.

"Oliver! You've shapeshifted into an idiot!" Perry exclaimed in response.

"Nope, that's all Perry." Calla told me, amused.

"I have a question: what happened to the sheep that was here?" Skylar spoke up.

"Well, Perry thought it was here to kill me, so Bree took it someplace it'd be appreciated." Dani explained. "Why?"

"I better call her." Chase decided, pulling out his phone. Dani frowned and looked at me.

"Why?" She repeated, just as Chase managed to get ahold of his sister.

"Bree, where are you?" Chase demanded. He paused. "The petting zoo? Look, whatever you do, do not give away that sheep." She said something on the other line, and Chase cursed. "Well, you'd better get it back, because that sheep is Kaz!"

"What?" Dani stared at us, bewildered. "How?"

"Long story." I explained. Chase hung up.

"She's going to bring the sheep back here." He told us.

"That thing is coming back here?" Perry demanded. "Well, I'm going to barricade myself in Mission Command. I'll be safe there; no one on my TV show ever died in a high-tech control center." She paused, thinking about it. "Wait. Library, movie theatre, bowling alley…Nope! I'm good!"

Perry bolted for the hyperlift. "I'd explain that, but really, it would only make things weirder." Dani said with a smirk. Bree sped in then, holding Sheep-Kaz. "Now seriously, that's Kaz?"

"Yep." I bent down to examine Sheep-Kaz. "You okay? He looks pale to me. Does he look pale to you?" I glanced at the others for their opinion.

"He's a sheep." Skylar told me.

"Hey, are you sure we can't keep him like this?" Bree inquired. "I mean, until we can all get a nice sweater out of him?"

"No!" Dani and I retorted, looking at her.

"Here." Calla handed me the vial of anti-serum. "Make him drink it."

I coaxed the liquid down Sheep-Kaz's throat. "Alright, so if this works, then Sheep-Kaz should become…" Nothing happened, despite Calla and Chase having hypothesized that it would work in mere seconds. "Then Sheep-Kaz should become…" Again, nothing.

"Yay! We might al get sweaters after all!" Bree beamed happily.

"Why isn't it working?" Dani demanded, looking pointedly at Calla and Chase.

"I don't know. The anti-serum was perfect!" Chase insisted.

** Bree's POV **

"Perry, are you down here?" I figured one of us might as well go down to Mission Command to make sure she hadn't broken anything.

"Over here!" Her head poked out from the popcorn bowl that Kaz had hidden in earlier. "I'm freaking out!"

"Clearly." I agreed.

"It's almost midnight, so whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen soon." She continued. "This is the only thing I could find to protect me!"

"Uh, there's a whole room of weapons and artillery, but okay." Actually, maybe it was best that a panicked and paranoid Perry wasn't near all of the deadly weapons. "Hey, you know what? How about I make you a nice cup of team to calm you down, okay?"

"Tea?" She repeated, staring at me like I had grown another head. "Are you trying to kill me? My co-star, Philip Damasio, died when he drank from a pot of tea while the water was still boiling! His insides melted! I heard the only thing left was his signature handlebar mustache, floating in a puddle of chamomile."

"Handlebar mustache?" I repeated, my mind racing. When I'd sold Sheep-Kaz (before I rebought him), I'd sold him to a man with a handlebar mustache. And he looked to be about the same age as Perry's co-star too… "I'll be right back."

I sped off towards the petting zoo, grabbed the man by the arm, and raced back to Mission Command without stopping to explain.

"Who's this guy?" Perry questioned.

"It's Philip Damasio." I lied quickly. Perry looked skeptical. "He's alive and well and working at the Centium City Petting Zoo. What a coincidence!" The mustached man looked at me, so I quickly pulled out my wallet and whispered, "Here's 20 bucks. Just go with it."

He took the 20 dollars from me and pocketed it, while Perry stared at him. "Is it really you, Philly D?"

"Oh, yes it is." I rushed to answer for him. I gestured at him, a fake smile on my face. "Right age, right look, little handlebar mustache."

Perry smiled for a moment, before looking confused. "So, you went from being a child star to working in a petting zoo?" I gulped, thinking she'd seen through my lie, but she grinned. "You're living the dream!"

My watch beeped then. "Hey, look! It's past midnight!" I exclaimed, thankful that my time as Perry's reluctant bodyguard was finally over. "You made it! You're alive!"

"You're right!" Perry breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the mustached man. "That means you and I are the last two living squirts. It must be fate. Let's go grab a late-night dinner, maybe rekindle our onscreen romance."

The mustached man looked at me, panicked, as Perry walked towards the hyperlift. "Here's another 20." I handed him another bill. He shook his head, and I sighed. "Fine." I pulled out another forty dollars and handed it to him. He sighed and followed Perry to the hyperlift.

** Oliver's POV **

"I can't believe our anti-serum didn't work." Calla muttered, clearly bothered by that fact.

"I can't believe my boyfriend is a sheep." Dani stated, still baffled by the situation we were in.

"This is awful. Kaz can't be a sheep for the rest of his life." I sighed. "He owes me ten bucks."

"Wait. When I zapped the cloud, thinking it was Roman and Riker, it changed Kaz back to his normal self." Skylar remembered. "Maybe if I zap Sheep-Kaz, it's do the same thing."

"That could work." Chase agreed.

"Or it could kill him." I pointed out. Dani nodded.

"Yeah, let's not do that." She agreed. "We have no idea if it'll work. We could fry him to a crisp."

"The whole place would smell like burnt wool." I added.

"What other choice do we have?" Chase questioned.

"It's our only option." Calla agreed.

"But…fine." Dani sighed, albeit reluctantly.

"But just in case it doesn't work out, I have a few things I want to say to Kaz first." I declared. Dani nodded.

"Me too." Dani agreed. The others nodded and stepped away to give us some privacy. Dani and I both knelt down to talk to Sheep-Kaz.

"Hey buddy, sorry we weren't here for you on Halloween." I apologized. "I should have rescheduled my date with Skylar. I mean, she and I are going to be together for the rest of our lives, so we'll have plenty of time for dinner later."

"Run that by me again?" Skylar questioned, interrupting.

"I can't believe you turned yourself into a sheep." Dani commented, shaking her head. "Seriously, Kaz? Do you have any idea how weird it is to have a sheep for a boyfriend?"

"You're not helping, I don't think." I commented.

"It's just so weird." She insisted. She petted Sheep-Kaz's head. "Please don't die."

"Look, buddy, no matter what happens now, you'll always be my best friend." I promised Sheep-Kaz. "But you still owe me ten bucks. I love you, man."

Sheep-Kaz bleated loudly, and I felt my heart clench. "Don't get emotional, Kaz. You're going to make me cry."

"Uh, Oliver?" I turned to see Kaz, in human form, standing by the front door, a confused look on his face.

"You're not a sheep!" Dani lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back, a bemused expression on his face.

"How is this possible?" Chase questioned.

"Well, the serum wore off while a 6-year-old was petting me." Kaz explained. He chuckled to himself. "That kid's gonna be scarred for life."

"Bree must have grabbed the wrong sheep." Calla realized. She, Dani, and Chase shrugged before heading down to Mission Command, presumably to let Bree know about her hilarious mistake.

Kaz looked at Skylar and I apologetically. "I'm sorry I ruined your guys' night."

"You didn't." Skylar cut in before I reply. I looked at her, surprised.

"Really?" Kaz and I responded at the same time. She nodded.

"I mean, it certainly was the most interesting date I've ever been on, but that's not a bad thing. I liked it." Skylar insisted. She smirked at me. "To be honest, I was afraid you were going to end it with some cheesy fireworks or something."

"Please, as if I would do something that cliché." I assured her. "Um, would you excuse me? I should clean our dishes."

The moment I was out of earshot, I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed AJ's number. "Abort the show. Abort the show." I hissed.

** Kaz's POV **

"Hey guys." I grinned, walking into Mission Command to see Calla and Chase looking into a microscope. "What are you up to?"

"Examining Calderan rocks. I found some minerals I'm unfamiliar with, and want to see if I replicate them." Calla explained.

"What about you?" Chase inquired, stepping back to let Calla get a better look.

"Well, I just took the other sheep back to the petting zoo, and I'm pretty sure Perry has a new boyfriend. Some guy with a handlebar mustache." I shrugged. "I saw them tandem-riding a donkey."

"Douglas will be happy to hear that. Finally, she's moved on." Calla smirked.

"So, where's the vials of shape-shifting serum? I figured you guys would want to improve on it." I commented.

"We got rid of all of it. We just couldn't crack shapeshifting – no matter what we did, our scientific methods only worked temporarily." Chase explained. "Which is a good thing for you, or else you'd still be munching on hay right now."

"It's not that bad." I reasoned.

"Well, I guess Roman and Riker's powers are still a mystery, so we're pretty much right back to where we started." Chase sighed.

"Helping your girlfriend look at rocks." I commented. Calla gave me a look. "Hey, don't sound so disappointed. I'm back to normal…although, my feet are killing me."

I pulled up my pant leg to scratch at it, then stopped when it revealed white hair, just like the leg of a sheep. Chase and Calla started, shocked.

"MISS, get Oliver down here!" Calla exclaimed. "Kaz is still part sheep!"

A moment later, the hyperlift doors opened to reveal a sheep. "Hey, what's up?" Oliver's voice came from the sheep.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Calla exclaimed, completely stunned.

"Our research!" Chase realized. The two geniuses exchanged looks, then scrambled out of the lab to get their research. Oliver laughed and stepped out from behind the sheep, while I removed the fake lamb leg I'd worn.

"Oh, it's good to have you back, buddy." Oliver laughed, hugging me.


	14. Game of Drones

** Chase's POV **

Calla frowned as she typed out an email to Leo. They liked to keep each other apprised of their adventures – Calla was still bragging about getting superpower and going to another planet, weeks after it happened – but for some reason, she was having trouble concentrating. Eventually, she sighed in annoyance and closed her laptop. "Chase, why are you lurking behind me and watching everything I do?"

"I'm bored." I admitted. "By the way, typo third line."

"Chase-" Calla began, just as Skylar, Dani, and Bree walked down the stairs.

"Hey, Calla, I know we were going to wait until later to go out, but do you wanna go now, grab some fro-yo?" Skylar suggested, grabbing her purse off the table.

"Absolutely." I grinned at the idea.

"She was talking to me." Calla told me, getting up.

"Why can't I go to?" I protested.

"Well, A, because you'd make us all get sugar-free," Calla smirked, amused, "and B, we're going dress shopping after, for the wedding."

"Why are you so needy?" Dani questioned as Calla went to get her purse.

"Ever since I stopped being mission leader, I've been so bored." I explained miserably. "It's amazing how much time you have on your hands when you're not telling everyone else what to do."

"You need a hobby." Bree told me bluntly. Skylar nodded.

"What else do you enjoy doing?" She inquired.

"Telling everyone else what to do." I replied as Calla walked back in.

"Later babe." She kissed me on the cheek, then led the other girls out of the Penthouse. I sighed and leaned back on the couch. I was so bored. I ended up just watching reruns of some crappy sitcom, trying to figure out something more interesting to do.

Eventually, Kaz and Oliver came up to the main floor, excited grins on their faces. "Move over!" Kaz snatched the TV remote away from me and changed it to the sports channel.

"What are you guys doing?" I inquired, hoping for something interesting to do.

"Watching football." Kaz replied. "Our fantasy teams are going head to head today."

"Epic!" Oliver grinned.

"Epic!" Kaz responded with equal enthusiasm.

"I like epic!" I added, trying to join in. They both looked at me suspiciously.

"Uh, no offense Chase, but this is  _our_  tradition." Oliver told me. "Between us. Me and him."

"So how do we play?" I asked Kaz, ignoring Oliver.

"Fantasy football isn't really played." Kaz explained with a smile. "The player's stats are given a point value-"

"This looks like math." I commented, analyzing the tablet that Kaz was showing me.

"What? Where?" He demanded, panicking. "Get it off!"

Did he not realize what he was doing was mathematics? "If I'm right, and I always am, you take the statistics and probabilities of the players based on previous numbers and extrapolate the outcomes."

"No, you don't." Kaz retorted. "You see how well they played before, then pick them based on that." I nodded, bemused, as I calculated stats in my head.

"Alright, but according to my formula, you should have started this guy," I pointed at a player on the TV, "because he's going to score about…" The player reached the other end of the field, earning a point for his team. "Now."

"You're a football genius." Kaz realized, his eyes wide. "Epic!"

"Epic!" I grinned.

"I like epic!" Oliver exclaimed, feeling left out. Kaz and I looked at him, a little put off by the interruption, before I started to tell him where he needed to change his team.

** Oliver's POV **

"Kaz, there you are." After hours of searching, I finally managed to locate Kaz in Mission Command. He and Chase were standing near the consol in Mission Command, over a bunch of scrap metal. "Where have you been? We were supposed to see the movie three hours ago."

"Oh, right. The movie…didn't you see my text?" Kaz questioned. I frowned and pulled out my phone. There weren't any new texts – only the pictures Kaz had sent me yesterday.

"The last text you send me is a picture of your inner elbow that looks like a butt." I pointed out. Kaz paused.

"It must have been before that." He told me. I scrolled through the texts.

"Nope. Just a picture of your knee-butt, shoulder-butt, and what I'm hoping is your toe-butt." I replied. Kaz sighed, defeated.

"Alright, you got me. I forgot." He told me apologetically.

"Dude, we've had plans to see this movie for weeks." I insisted.

"It's my fault." Chase spoke up, taking the blame. "Kaz and I have been hanging out all day."

"Yeah, ever since Chase stopped being mission leader, he's a lot more fun." Kaz added. Chase grinned.

"I am." He agreed. I frowned.

"This guy? Mr. Tightwad McSciencehead?" I questioned skeptically.

"Yeah. We found out that there's this drone race in the park this weekend, so we entered and now we're building our own drone." Kaz explained.

"Well, what about me?" I questioned, hurt. "Did ou ever think I'd like to build a drone?"

"You can help us-" Chase began, but I cut him off.

"I don't want to build a drone!" I snapped quickly. I turned back to Kaz. "I can't believe you ditched me."

"Look, I'm sorry." Kaz apologized. "We'll go see the movie tomorrow. But c'mon. Help us build the drone."

"Alright." I replied reluctantly, walking over to them.

"Say, what movie were you guys going to go see, anyway?" Chase inquired.

"Oh, the King of Diamonds." I replied. Chase scoffed.

"Oh, don't waste your time. Kaz and I already saw it this after and it was hor…" Chase stopped, realizing that he'd just ratted Kaz out. I glared at the two of them, annoyed. "I'd like to see that elbow-butt."

** Calla's POV **

"These dresses are gorgeous." I complimented as we headed up to the penthouse. "Seriously, you guys are going to look hot."

"I love the color." Skylar commented.

"Oh, and wait until Chase sees you in your dress." Bree gushed. She shook her head. "If he doesn't cry, I'm going to slap him."

"Well, that's what maid of honors are for, right?" I joked, pushing open the door to the Penthouse. To our surprise, Perry was inside, sitting all alone on the couch while looking at a photo album.

"I'll bring this upstairs. We can keep them in our room so the boys don't see them." Bree offered, taking the dress bags from us and speeding upstairs.

"Perry, how'd you get in here?" I questioned, crossing my arms and looking at the older woman.

"You'd be surprised about the places you can go to through an air conditioning duct." She commented in response. Skylar sat down on the couch next to her, a look of curiosity on her face.

"What are you looking at?" She inquired.

"My old family photo albums." Perry replied as she flipped the page. "Decided to dust them off now that I'm back in my hometown."

Dani leaned over the couch, looking over Perry's shoulder at the pics. She flipped to another page, and I caught a glance at a picture of a very busty woman with orange hair, wearing a clown-like costume and standing on top of a tightrope. "Who's that on the tightrope?" Dani asked, curious, just as Bree sped back onto the main floor.

"My Aunt Barbara." Perry replied. She looked at us. "This might surprise you, but we Perry are circus folk."

"You don't say." Bree commented, walking past me to grab a drink from the kitchen.

"It's true." Perry insisted, the sarcasm going right over her head. "The women in my family were all talented wire-walkers. I come from a long line of them. Look." She began to flip through the pages, showing us different images of her ancestors on tightropes.

"This is actually pretty cool." I commented, impressed. Perry sighed.

"Yeah, but they all fell attempting the hardest walk of all – between two skyscrapers." Perry explained. She paused, then corrected herself. "Sorry, almost all of them fell. My Grandma Gertie was pushed by Grandpa George."

"Well, the bloodlust had to start somewhere." I said, half-joking.

"All the women in my family were trailblazers, but I've never done anything that mattered." Perry sighed.

"C'mon. That can't be true." Skylar tried to cheer her up, but Perry shook her head.

"It is. You wouldn't understand because you have all these amazing powers." She told the alien. She then looked at us. "And you know what kind of amazing powers Skylar has."

"Perry, I'm sure you've done something noteworthy." Skylar tried again. She looked at us. "Right guys?"

Dani adverted her gaze, while I shook my head. "Well, nothing she should be proud of." Bree answered. Perry jumped to her feet.

"You know what? I'm going to do it." Our former principal announced. "I'm going to do the walk."

"Sweet." "I love it." Dani and Skylar grinned.

"What? No. No." I shook my head quickly.

"This is probably the worst idea you've ever had, and you have had some very bad ideas." Bree insisted.

"I know, but this is one of my best bad ideas." Perry told her sincerely. "All, I have to do is walk, and I've been doing that since I was eight."

"Not on a high wire between two skyscrapers." Bree reminded her.

"This is not going to end well." I agreed. "You can't do this."

"Yes, I do." Perry argued. "And I'm going to prove it to you. I'm going to go online right now and find the cheapest tightrope money can buy."

"I'll help." Dani offered her, following Perry out. Skylar looked at us.

"Why won't you support her?" She questioned.

"Well, for reasons I still can't decipher, we don't want her to die." I replied, staring at her. Skylar rolled her eyes.

"It'll be fine. What could go wrong?" She assured us, heading after Dani and Perry.

"I hate it when they say that." Bree muttered.

** Oliver's POV **

"Alright, the base of the drone is ready." Chase announced, stepping back from the drone. Kaz and I looked on, admiring the finished drone. "Now, we just gotta soup her up so she can annihilate the competition."

Kaz and I chuckled and exchanged looks. "I was not aware that the drone was a 'she'." Kaz chuckled, amused.

"Everything I create is a 'she'." Chase told us, smirking, before patting the top of the drone. "Isn't that right, Linda?"

"I'm just excited to build the drone." I commented. Kaz nodded excitedly, his mind racing.

"Oh, I saw we add a confetti cannon, and since she's a lady, we paint her a nice candy apple red, and add a little smile on the front."

"Kaz, you can't be serious." I replied. He looked at me, confused. "Those are terrible ideas!"

"No, they're not." He retorted, offended. He looked past me. "Right Chase?"

"No." Chase replied. "Not at all. I think they're great ideas."

"See?" Kaz smirked, glad that someone was backing him up. "Oh! I was also thinking we could add tinted windows, skis in case of a water landing, and a little speaker that play mariachi music. That way, we can call her La Drona."

"Or how about we just call her La Lame-o." I grumbled. La Drona? That was a terrible name.

"Okay, you know what?" Kaz turned on me, actually pissed off. "Ever since we invited you in, all you've done is bash my ideas are stupid!"

"Kaz, I'm not saying your ideas are stupid. I'm saying they're wrong." I clarified. He glared at me. "Oh, c'mon Kaz, even you have to admit that they're over the top."

"You know what? If You can't be more supportive like Chase, then I don't think you should be working with us." Kaz snapped. I froze, shocked. He was kicking me out of the group? H-He'd never done anything like that – even in kindergarten, when he, Dee, and I were fighting over who got to use which Lego pieces (which, back in those days, happened more often than it didn't), he'd never suggested I leave. Kaz waited another minute, then spoke up again. "And if you're not going to leave after this uncomfortable exchange, then I will."

And with that, he stalked off towards the hyperlift. "Well, that escalated quickly." Chase mentioned. I glared at him.

"This is your fault." I told him. "What are you trying to do, steal my best friend? You know his ideas are lame."

"Of course they are, and the old Chase would've told him he was wrong and made him feel intellectually inferior." Chase agreed. "But the new Chase is a butt-kissing yes man."

"I thought you weren't supposed to change until AFTER your wedding." I grumbled.

"Look, I'm agreeing to Kaz's ideas for now, but right before the race, I'll rebuild the drone to look the way I want it."

"So, you're still being a control freak, just not to his face." I realized. He nodded.

"Exactly." He grinned back at me.

** Calla's POV **

"Okay, the tightrope is secured to the roof. At least, I think it is. I've never secured a tightrope before, so who knows?" Dani announced as she and Skylar climbed down the ladder and onto the veranda. Bree and I didn't look at them – we were too busy staring at Perry. She'd walked in a moment ago, clad in a purple leotard with a large, fluffy, pink tutu and matching bows in her hair. In her left hand, she twirled a tiny, purple and yellow umbrella.

"I love the outfit." Skylar grinned. Perry beamed at her.

"Thanks, I stole it off a sleeping clown." She commented before looking up at the ladder. "Well, let's do this."

She started to climb up the ladder. "I'm getting my phone so I can take pictures." Dani called, racing upstairs. Bree, Skylar, and I watched Perry climb up to the roof, where a tight, thin tightrope was suspended between Davenport Tower and another tower, about 20 feet away.

"I can't believe you're actually going to go through with this." I looked at Perry, horrified.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bree questioned, staring at the older woman. "You haven't even practiced."

"I did practice." Perry insisted. "I walked here from my apartment, and I only fell twice."

"Okay, Perry, listen to me." Bree looked at her, a very serious look on her face. "If you do this, you're going to die. And for some reason, that actually upsets Calla and I."

"I get it." Perry assured her. "You're obsessed with me. You don't have to be so creep about it."

"Eww, no." I replied as Perry climbed up next to the tightrope. By this point, Dani had returned with her phone. She took a picture of Perry by the tightrope, a smirk on her face.

"All I have to do is walk to the other side and back." Perry announced, completely confident that she could do it. "Before you know it, I'll be the pride of the Perry family."

"You're so brave." Skylar complimented her. Perry scoffed.

"Tell me something I don't know." She replied. Skylar thought about it, obviously taking the expression for its literal meaning.

"I have microscopic vision, and there is an alarming amount of insects living in your hair." She told her. Perry rolled her eyes.

"Again, tell me something I don't know." She replied. She turned around, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the wire.

** Oliver's POV **

"Kaz, there you are!" I sighed in relief, finding my best friend in the kitchen. He looked up at me, but didn't say anything as he continued to make himself a sandwich. Still mad then. "I wanted to apologize for earlier – I never should have shot down your ideas. I'm sorry."

Kaz sighed. "Alright. Apology accepted." He told me, giving me a hug to reassure me that he meant it.

"Really? Just like that?" I was surprised – usually fights like these between us lasted a good few hour before we resolved them. "I was prepared to fake cry and talk about how we've been best friends for years."

"Nah, we're good." He assured me. He offered me half of his peanut butter sandwich. I looked around, curious as to why Chase wasn't taking a lunch break.

"So, where's Chase?" I inquired. Kaz jerked his thumb at the stairs.

"Doing some last-minute adjustments to the drone." He shrugged. "Why?"

I sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to like what I said next. "Look, Kaz, now that we're friends again, there's something I have to tell you. Chase is just placating you."

Kaz scoffed. "No, he's not." He paused. "What does placating mean?"

"It means that he's telling you that your ideas are good, but before the race, he's going to undo all of them." I explained. Kaz shook his head.

"No way, Oliver. I don't believe you." He told me. "You're lying because you want me to hang out with you instead of him."

"I thought you might say that." I nodded, unsurprised. "MISS, could you please play the security footage on the TV?"

" _Of course."_  The TV screen turned on and showed a security recording of Chase and I down in the lab earlier.

" _So, I'm agreeing with Kaz's ideas for now, but right before the race, I'm going to rebuild the drone the way I want it."_  Chase told me on the screen. MISS paused the security recording. Kaz glared at the screen.

"I can't believe him!" He exclaimed, upset. "He's such a control freak!"

"He is." I agreed quickly. Suddenly, Kaz clapped his hands together, grinning.

"Oh, I've got an idea." He ran from the table without an explanation, leaving behind both me and his lunch.

** Xxx **

"Chase!" Kaz called, walking into the park. It was just about time for the drone race, and almost all of the contestants were hanging in the park, ready to go. Chase smiled when he saw us.

"Hey guys." He greeted. "So, I just put the finishing touches on her. She's all ready to go."

"Really?" Kaz questioned skeptically. "So, all of my suggestions are in there?"

"Yep." Chase nodded. "Even the 20-pound confetti cannon that won't slow her down at all."

Kaz and I exchanged looks. "Liar." My best friend accused. "You were just agreeing to my face, and then switched everything back to the way you want it!"

Chase looked shocked. "Kaz, I didn't-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Kaz snapped before smirking. "And joke's on you, because I entered my own drone in the race, just to make sure yours loses."

"What?" Chase demanded, staring at us.

"I'll go get it ready." Kaz grinned. Chase looked at me. "We took one of Mr. Davenport's drones that we found in Mission Command."

"Where is Mission Command?" He questioned.

"The weapons room." I replied. Duh – that's where we kept all the cool tech.

"The what?" Chase demanded, eyes wide.

"Alright, racers!" The announcer for the race called. "Ready, set, go!"

Almost everyone's drones flew into the air. "You're going down, Chase!" Kaz grinned as he returned with the drone. He placed it on the ground, and activated it.

"Kaz, no!" Chase tried to stop him, but it was too late; the drone was already airborne. Chase stared at it, not moving to start his own drone.

"Why aren't you starting your drone?" Kaz inquired, smirking. "Afraid you're gonna lose?"

"No. I'm afraid because that's one of Mr. Davenport's attack drones." Chase told us, deadly serious. "It's heavily armed and programmed to destroy and threat that moves."

"Oh." Oops. I leaned in close to Kaz. "Did you know that?"

"No, I did not." He sighed. I looked back at Chase.

"Yeah, we didn't know that." I told him. He let out a frustrated noise.

"I cannot believe how stupid you guys can be sometimes." He exclaimed.

"Okay, maybe firing off an attack drone was probably a bad idea." Kaz admitted. "But it's really fast. I think I've got this thing won."

Chase glared at him, then began to pace, locking a cautious gaze on our drone. "Don't worry, Chase. We'll just the controller to land it." I assured him. I looked at Kaz. "Dude, where'd you put the controller?"

"I don't have it. I thought you had it." He responded, confused.

"I don't have it." I replied, equally confused. Kaz looked over at Chase.

"Yeah, we don't have it." He told him. Chase nodded.

"That's because there is no controller. The drone has artificial intelligence." He explained. "It's programmed to shoot down anything that aggravates it."

"Well, that just sounds like poor design." Kaz commented. Chase glared at him, annoyed. "Look, it's not my fault. You said yes to all of my ideas, and then yanked them out when I wasn't looking. I heard it all."

Chase sighed. "Look, I know what you heard, Kaz," he acknowledged, "but after talking to Oliver, I felt really bad. I realized I wasn't being a very good friend, so I left all of your ideas in the drone. I'll show you."

Chase walked around a bush and came out carrying a candy apple red drone with skis, a cardboard smile, a pair of fuzzy dice, and the end of a cannon sticking out of the top. "It's you, La Drona!"

"And the inside?" I questioned suspiciously. "I mean, sure the outside looks like he wanted it, but what about the inside?"

"Everything he asked for." Chase assured us.

"I don't believe you." I grumbled. He grabbed his controller and pressed a button. The cannon at the top of the drone shot out a burst of confetti and mariachi music began to play. Chase raised an eyebrow at me. "That doesn't prove anything."

"She's perfect." Kaz beamed at Kaz. "Thank you, buddy. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"Seriously?" I looked at him, surprised. "You forgive way too easily."

Suddenly, there was the sound of a laser blast firing. We looked into the sky to see one of the drones crashing down towards us. "Incoming!" Kaz shouted as we all ducked. Thankfully, the downed drone didn't hit anyone, but it was close. "Oh yeah, I've definitely got this thing locked up."

"We have to do something." I said, looking at the others.

"The drone has a homing beacon." Chase remembered. "If I tap into it, I can program it to land back at the penthouse veranda." He raised his fingers to his temple. "Let's just hope it doesn't detect a threat between here and there."

** Calla's POV **

"I can't watch." I murmured, my hands covering my eyes. Despite this, I couldn't help but look through the fingers, watching in a combination of horror and amazement as Perry crossed the tightrope, one shaky step at a time.

"None of the other Perrys have even made it to the other side, and I'm already on my way back."

"Keep it up!" "You're doing great!" Skylar and Dani encouraged her. Suddenly, through the gaps between my fingers, I saw a white drone fly past her, coming far too close for comfort. Its sudden appearance caused Perry to lose her balance, and to our horror, she fell. Thankfully, she managed to grab the rope before she fell to her doom, using her umbrella as a handhold for the other hand.

"Are you okay?" Skylar shouted.

"I-I think so!" Perry called back. "Although my tights might tell a different story!"

** Oliver's POV **

I watched as Kaz handed the other contestants back their broken drones, our drone having destroyed all of them. "The drone should be landing on the penthouse veranda any minute now. I can track it with my bionic vision." Chase put his fingers to his temple and looked into the horizon, but even from here, we could tell that something was wrong. There was a large, misshapen figure of some sort in the distance, waving its limbs around wildly. "Oh no."

"What is it?" I questioned.

"From here, it looks like an unusual creature thrashing around, like a pterodactyl eating its young." Kaz described. Chase cocked his head, acknowledging Kaz's statement.

"Throw in a brightly colored tutu, and you're not far off." He replied.

** Bree's POV **

"Don't worry Perry!" Dani called, pulling herself on top of the half-wall that surrounded the veranda. "I'm going to fly up and come and get you!"

Dani leapt into the air, but only managed to stay airborne for a brief moment before the drone blasted her. Thankfully, she was still above the veranda, so when she fell, she landed near us rather than the street below, but when she hit the floor, she hit it hard. "Dani!" Skylar exclaimed, scrambling to her best friend's side.

"I'm okay." The electrokinetic groaned. "But I'm just gonna lie down here for a bit."

"What about me?" Perry screeched.

"It's okay! Bree's gonna come get you!" Calla called. I looked at her. What the hell, Calla? "Oh, don't give me that look. We both know you have better balance than me."

"Shouldn't we wait for real help to arrive?" Perry shouted at us. Annoyed, I pulled off my shoes – going in my socks would make it easier on the tightrope – then climbed up the ladder. Taking a deep breath, and refusing to look anywhere close to down, I stepped out onto the rope, my arms out to keep my balance.

Suddenly, the drone began shooting at me, and I nearly lost my balance. Spinning around, I carefully placed my feet on the tightrope, then jumped upwards when the drone shot at me again. I flipped in the air and landed on the tightrope, my landing terrifyingly unsteady, but a landing all the same.

"A little heavy footed, but not bad for an amateur." Perry complimented.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold it off." I told her, trying to get her to hurry up and climb back onto the rope. The drone came at me again, and this time, while trying to avoid the laser blasts, I lost my own balance. Like Perry, I was able to grab ahold of the tightrope, but I knew that drone would be back any second.

"Is this really how I'm going to go out of this world?" I murmured. I'd always thought I'd either die on a mission to save the world, or by being on the wrong end of one of Adam's pranks. But never did I think I'd die like this.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Perry assured me. I looked at her in surprise, then back at the drone that was racing towards us. Perry released the tightrope with one hand, the other clutching it even tighter, then grabbed her umbrella and threw it as hard as she could at the drone. It hit its target dead center, knocking it out of the sky.

"Nice hit." I complimented. Perry nodded her thanks, then looked down at the ground.

"I guess we wait for one of your flying friends to come save us?" She guessed. I shook my head.

"No. Perry, I know how much this tightrope walk means to you." It must mean a lot, after all she was willing to die for it. "You're going to finish it."

"I can't. I used up all my energy battling that drone." Perry sighed. "You were right. I don't have what it takes to finish."

"Yes, you do." I insisted. I jerked my head at the veranda, only a few feet away. Skylar was out of my sight, probably still checking on Dani, while Calla watched us with wide eyes. "Look how far you've come already. Calla and I got this wrong – you CAN do this, and I'm going to do it with you."

"You're getting creepy again, Brenda." Perry informed me. I rolled my eyes, then began to swing back and forth on the wire. Once I felt I'd gotten enough momentum, I grabbed Perry's hand with one of mine and used my super speed to flip us over the tightrope and eventually, onto it.

"Whoa!" Perry stuck her hands out, maintaining her balance. 'Give a gal a little warning next time before you loop-the-loop her! Something's bubbling up."

Disgusted, I wrinkled my nose. "Let's just get back, okay?"

** Chase's POV **

"Dani!" Oliver shouted when we walked into the penthouse. His sister was sitting on the ground of the veranda, head in her hand, while Skylar looked over her with concern. "I knew something was wrong."

"What happened?" Kaz rushed forward and helped Dani get to her feet.

"She got blasted by a drone." Skylar explained, frowning when Dani stumbled.

"Look at what I've done." Kaz frowned, looking her over. "Are you alright?"

"Your shirt smells good." Dani murmured, obviously still dazed. She leaned in close to him, a smile on her face. "You washed it, didn't you?"

"Look what I've done." Kaz repeated himself, smiling down at Dani. He put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's get you an ice pack and a tofu pop, alright?"

I chuckled as he led her inside, then looked at Calla. "So, what's going on?"

"Perry wanted to walk a tightrope, Bree and I said no, she did it anyway, and then a drone attacked her." My fiancée summarized. She looked at us. "Speaking of which, unless I'm mistaken, wasn't that one of Mr. Davenport's attack drones?"

"He has attack drones?" Oliver played dumb. Calla raised an eyebrow at that, not believing him for a second, but didn't comment on it.

"Okay, just a few more steps." By this point, Bree was standing on the roof, trying to encourage Perry to take the last few steps to safety. The older woman swayed and faltered in her steps, but eventually made it onto the roof.

"Yes!" Skylar smiled, proud of her.

"You did it!" Bree exclaimed, pleased, as they began to climb down the ladder. Once they were back on the veranda, she turned back to Perry. "I'm so sorry for not believing in you."

"You know, your Grandma Gertie would've been really proud of you." Calla added, trying to be supportive. Perry gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean, 'would have'?" She questioned. She laughed. "She fell, but she's still alive; she had a net. You'd have to be crazy to do this without a net. You put up a net, right?"

Bree and Calla exchanged looks. "You know, we should really go check on Dani…" Bree laughed nervously, pushing Calla into the Penthouse with her.

** Oliver's POV **

A few hours later, after triple checking to make sure Dee was okay and not just lying to get me off her back, I went down to Mission Command to find Chase. I had figured that he would be working on something (Calla had been down here every day this week, obsessed with analyzing the rocks she got from Caldera. She insisted that there was something familiar about their properties, despite the fact that she'd never been to the planet before, and she wanted to figure out what) but to my surprise, he was on the phone.

"No, I'm definitely game. I think it's a great idea." He was saying. He glanced up at me when I walked in, but didn't greet me. "No, really. I'm definitely okay with this, and I'm sure she will be too." He paused, listening. "No problem. Talk to you later."

He hung up, then started working on his laptop. "So, who was that?" I inquired, figuring that small talk would be the easiest way to go about this.

"Mr. Davenport. He wanted my opinion on some of his plans for Davenport Industries." Chase's answer was short, his tone cold. I sighed.

"Look, about earlier…I'm sorry I ratted on you." I apologized.

"You should be." He agreed. I looked at him in exasperation.

"Kaz would have forgiven me by now." I pointed out. Chase gave me a look.

"I could go and stab him in the back, literally, and he'd already have forgiven me." He pointed out. I had to give him that – Kaz was way too chill when it came to forgiveness.

"Look, I only did it because I thought you were trying to steal my best friend." I explained. Chase sighed.

"I wasn't." He insisted. "I mean, I know that ever since I gave up on being mission leader, everybody wants to hang out with me because I'm super fun…"

"Well, I wouldn't say super fun." I told him.

"Okay, maybe just fun." He relented. I grimaced, knowing it wasn't the word I would use. "Fun-ish."

"Alright." I agreed.

"But just because I hang out with him, doesn't mean I'm trying to steal him from you." Chase finished. I sighed.

"I know." I agreed. "It's just…with Skylar and Dani spending so much time with Calla and Bree, it just sometimes feels like I'm losing my best friends."

"Sometimes friends will hang out with other people. It's just because they have a lot in common." Chase shrugged. "Look, you and I have more in common than anyone else in the house. We should be friends. Can we put all of this stuff behind us and start over?"

"Definitely." I agreed, just as my stomach grumbled. It was already eight, and none of us had eaten any dinner yet. "Wanna grab some food?"

"I have plans with Dani, Kaz, and Skylar." Chase replied apologetically. I chuckled.

"Good one." I replied. Chase gave me a confused look as the hyperlift doors opened.

"Ready, man?" Kaz questioned. I watched, disappointed, as Chase walked into the hyperlift and flew up to the main floor. Oh, so it wasn't a joke. Guess they were all going out without me. Well, this sucked. Maybe there were some leftovers I could reheat…

A minute later, the hyperlift doors opened again, and Skylar poked her head out. "Hey, you coming to dinner with us?" She requested. I grinned.

"Absolutely." I agreed, grabbing her hand and following her into the hyperlift.


	15. They Grow Up So Fast

**Chase's POV**

"Well, congratulations guys. That was our tenth mission this week." I announced. We'd just returned from helping to clean up an eight-car pileup on the highway. Kaz, Oliver, and Dani slumped onto the couch, exhausted.

"Only ten? It feels more like a hundred." Dani complained, curling up on her side so that she could lean her head on Kaz's shoulder. "Everything hurts."

"My whole body is sore too." Kaz agreed.

"Me too." Oliver agreed.

"You guys haven't even had your powers for that long, and you're already complaining?" Skylar shook her head. "Pathetic."

"Yeah," Bree agreed, sitting down on the seat opposite of them. "I've been running hundreds of miles an hour since I could walk. Don't you talk to me about sore until you have bionic blisters."

To prove her point, Bree took off her boot and peeled off her sock, showing Dani and the boys her blisters. Although I couldn't see them – thankfully – the three visibly recoiled at the sight of them. "Rookies." Bree smirked before limping upstairs to deal with them.

"If you guys feel this bad now, I wonder how bad it's going to be when you're older." Calla commented, unzipping her mission suit jacket and taking Bree's spot on the blue chair.

"I don't know. But I have this app that ages photos." Kaz pulled his phone out of his pocket, then snapped a picture of Oliver. He showed it to us after the app had done its work. "This is Oliver at eighty."

I'm not going to lie – it was Oliver's best look. "Cute mustache." Skylar offered, looking at the tiny hairs underneath Oliver's nose in the photo.

"Actually, I think those are nose hairs." Dani corrected, craning her neck to get a better glimpse at the photo.

"Eww." Skylar's nose turned upward in disgust. I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you all so freaked out about growing older, anyway?" I questioned. "It's just a part of life. Personally, I'm looking forward to aging gracefully."

"Oh, really?" Kaz took a picture of me and held it up for me to see. "This is you."

Okay, so I looked old. Really old, with a receding hair line, too many wrinkles, and ear hair. But I had to admit, for an eighty-year-old, it could be much worse. 'Big deal. Everyone looks like that when they're eighty."

Kaz smiled deviously. "This is you at forty."

"What?" I demanded, snatching the phone away from him. No way could this be me at forty. But when I checked the settings, it indeed said forty. "No!"

"Yes." Kaz's smile grew. I glared at him, then dropped the phone to the ground and stepped on it.

"You're going to need a new phone, because this one just broke." I told him before stalking downstairs. I couldn't look like that at forty! I had to figure out a way to stop this!

**Bree's POV**

"Wow." Skylar, Calla, and I watched as Kaz and the twins piled ice pack after ice pack on themselves.

"Just so you know, nothing about this picture says 'superhero'." Skylar commented.

"It's kinda pathetic." I agreed before turning back to Calla. "Okay, so bachelorette party. You got any requests?"

"Yes, nothing too crazy, nothing too weird." Calla said right off the bat. "And I don't want it to be the night before the wedding, either. I don't want to say my vows hungover."

"Ooh, Calla, a little underage drinking?" I teased. Calla rolled her eyes. "What about location?"

"What about it?" Skylar questioned.

"Well, are my plans limited to the US?" I questioned. Calla looked at me, bemused, and I gestured at Dani and Skylar, the youngest in our party. "Drinking age is 18 in Quebec."

"Ah, got it." Calla nodded. She thought about it. "Fine, but get a hotel room ahead of time."

"Done." I grinned. Suddenly, Calla's phone vibrated. She picked it up and checked the text, frowning. "What's up?"

"Surprise?" She read, confused. Before I could comment on it, the doorbell rang. She looked at the door, then back at her phone. "No…" She murmured in disbelief, getting up and heading for the door. She opened it a bit, then laughed in shock. "No!"

She stepped back and in walked my older brother, Adam. "Who missed me?" He shouted, grinning ear to ear as he tossed a duffle bag onto the ground near the couch.

"I don't even know who you are." Dani replied, even as I ran up to hug Adam. Behind him Leo, Mr. Davenport, and Tasha walked in, the latter carrying the youngest of my siblings, little baby Naomi.

"Hello Dooley." Calla greeted Leo. He smirked.

"Hello Parker." He replied before pulling her into a hug. When she pulled a way, she had a quizzical look on her face.

"Dude, why didn't you tell me you were coming to town?" She questioned.

"Wanted it to be a surprise." He answered as if it should have been obvious, just as the hyperlift doors opened. Chase walked out, then stopped in surprise. "Hey, man."

"What are you guys doing here?" Chase smiled, fist bumping both Adam and Leo.

"I have an announcement to make." Mr. Davenport explained. "But I think it can wait until dinner."

"Okay, cool." We all shrugged. He was probably announced a new invention or something. Or maybe he was moving the family out here, or rebuilding Davenportia. Something like that.

"And I thought you'd like to see Naomi." Tasha added. I grinned and walked over to her and my baby sister, cooing when I saw her adorable face.

"Oh my God, she's beautiful." Calla cooed. Soon, Skylar, Calla, and I were all surrounded Tasha and Naomi, cooing and making baby noises at the infant. Chase had gone into the kitchen for a moment to see if there was any coffee left, while Kaz and the twins remained on the couch.

"Thank you for not being baby crazy." Kaz told Dani.

"Oh, I am. I just can't move." She replied, wincing.

"I just love them when they're this small. They're so cute." I commented, beaming when Naomi grabbed at my pinky finger, clutching it with her tiny hand.

"Too bad it won't last." Chase sighed. "It's only a matter of time before she looks like a wrinkly, old, hairless goblin."

Everyone turned to stare at him, even as he headed back down into Mission Command, the coffee pot in hand. "Well, he's just as weird as ever." Adam declared. "I'm gonna go bug him."

"Yeah, I should probably go figure out why he was down there all night anyway." Calla agreed following Adam and Leo into the hyperlift.

"So, kids," Tasha looked at us, "since everyone seems to be doing their own thing, Donald and I were going to go out, take a little bit of a break."

"Have fun?" Dani commented, unsure of why they were informing us.

"A bit of a break without Naomi." Mr. Davenport clarified.

"You want a babysitter." Skylar realized.

"I'd really appreciate it." Tasha added, smiling hopefully. Dani, Kaz, and Oliver all looked at each other.

"Not it." They declared before limping down to Mission Command.

"I'll do it." Skylar offered before I could.

"Uh, no, it's okay. I'll do it." I reassured her. I hadn't really seen Naomi since the night she was born – Kieran and Rio had shown up in the middle of the night to geoleap Chase and I back to Mission Creek for it – and I'd always wanted a little sister to spend time with. "I'm her big sister, after all."

"Thank you, Bree." Tasha smiled at me as I reached for Naomi. But almost as soon as Tasha had settled her properly in my arms, Naomi began to whimper, then cry loudly.

"That's odd. She hardly ever cries." Mr. Davenport frowned, stepping closer to make sure nothing was wrong with her.

"Here, let me try." Skylar offered, taking Naomi from me. The baby stopped crying and stared up at Skylar.

"That's odd. She almost never takes to strangers." Tasha commented. "It took her almost a month to get used to Adam holding her."

"Probably because he smells like a dirty diaper." I commented. Tasha and Mr. Davenport nodded, acknowledging that I was right. "And she's not taking to strangers; she's just frightened into silence by her three alien heartbeats."

I reached for Naomi and Skylar gave her up without a fight. Again, my little sister started to wail. "Uh, she's crying again." Skylar pointed out.

"I can see that she's crying!" I snapped as I bounced Naomi gently, trying desperately to soothe her. What was I doing wrong? "She's a baby. It's what they do."

"You know, we really don't need to go out." Tasha commented, looking at Mr. Davenport. I looked at her, hurt.

"No, honey. We both need the break, and I've already made lunch plans for us." He told her. He glanced at us. "And I'm sure that Bree can handle her."

"Yeah, don't you trust me?" I questioned. Tasha sighed.

"Of course I do, Bree." She promised. She grabbed her purse from her overnight bag as Mr. Davenport went to open the door for her. Tasha hesitated in the entrance. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yes, go." I hurried her, wanting to prove myself. She nodded.

"Okay, just…feel free to ask the alien girl for help." She told her before heading out the door. Mr. Davenport gave me a stern look.

"If you screw this up, we're all in trouble." He told me seriously. I nodded and he followed his wife out of the room. Meanwhile, Naomi began to cry louder.

"Hush, hush…" I murmured her to her, hoping I could somehow figure out how to make this work.

**Chase's POV**

"So, you didn't come to bed last night." Calla declared as she, Adam, Leo, Kaz, and the twins arrived in Mission Command. I looked over at the bowl of fruit and the formula I'd been working on.

"I know. I've been up all night splitting molecules and splicing DNA." I explained. "I' trying to create a device to reverse the aging process."

"Wow, Chase. Only you could make the phrase 'up all night' sound boring." Adam commented. I sent him a look – figures, he's here for less than twenty minutes and he's already teasing me.

"So, have you figured it out? How to reverse it?" Dani inquired, sitting behind the consol on the other side of the room, along with Leo.

"No!" I exclaimed, frustrated. "So far I've only figured out how to speed it up."

"How far did you go?" Oliver questioned.

"You're looking a little rough." Kaz agreed.

"I didn't use it on me!" I snapped.

"Yeah, man, that haggard face is all natural." Adam added. I ignored him, and addressed Calla and Leo, the two I knew would actually be interested in this.

"Watch. This is my problem." I picked an apple out of the bowl. "Right now, it's a perfectly ripe apple." I grabbed my device off the counter, aiming it at the apple, and pressed a button. A beam of light shone down on the apple, and it began to wrinkle and shrink until it was just a brown, button-shaped piece. "And now it's been aged 12 years."

"Hey, I like dried fruit. Maybe it gets better with age." Kaz picked it up before I could stop him, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed on it for a moment, then let out a pained chuckle. "Yeah…it doesn't."

**Bree's POV**

I gently bounced Naomi, wincing as her crying grew even louder. "Please, please stop crying." I murmured, trying to think. Suddenly, I had an idea. "Uh, what about a nursery rhyme? All babies like nursery rhymes, right?"

I thought hard, trying to remember any nursery rhymes. But the only thing I could remember was Davenport reading to us from old battery manuals. "Um, nursery rhyme, nursery rhyme," I sang softly, improvising. "This is a nursery rhyme."

"Wow, you're good." Skylar commented sarcastically, watching us from her spot on the couch.

"Hey, I grew up in a basement!" I snapped defensively. "The only nursery rhyme I know is the buzz of a nuclear generator."

"Yeah? Well, I was raised by a blob of lava that didn't have a mouth, and even I know 'twinkle, twinkle, little star." She replied.

"Always gotta plat the alien card, don't you?" I grumbled, unable to come up with a better retort. Naomi began to cry even harder.

"She seems really upset." Skylar observed. "Maybe I should hold her."

"No!" I said quickly, but my sudden outburst startled Naomi and upset her further. Skylar gave me a skeptical look.

"Fine. I guess you got this." She eventually decided. "I'm going to go get a head start on the grocery shopping. Call me if you need me."

"Thanks, but I won't." I assured her. She shrugged, grabbed her purse, and walked out the door. I looked back at Naomi and gave her a big smile. "Alright. It's just you and me now, baby girl."

She continued to whimper. I thought hard – I'd tried rocking her, bouncing her, and I'd even changed her diaper twice. "Oh! Maybe you're hungry." Holding her to my chest with one arm, I used the other to dig through the bag Tasha had left behind, and pulled out a small, Tupperware container. "Let's see what you've got here. It's everybody's favorite…" I trailed off, actually seeing what was inside the container. "Mushy green stuff."

I shrugged, grabbed a tiny spoon from the bag, and unsealed the container. "Well, at least I don't have to touch it." I commented, getting a spoonful of the stuff. I held it up to Naomi. "Here you go, sweetie." I told her, feeding her the baby food. She ate it happily and smiled at me. For a moment, I thought I might have solved the problem…only for her to spit up all over my shirt seconds later. "Naomi!" I protested, disgusted. I sighed. "I guess you're not that hungry."

I grimaced in disgust, using a baby wipe to try and clean off some of the puke. "Um, okay," I hastened to figure out a plan to deal with this. "Why don't I set you over there with your toys while I get cleaned up, okay?"

Her response was to spit up again, this time managing to get both my shirt and my neck before beginning to cry again. I gagged, overwhelmed with disgust. "Okay, that time you were clearly aiming for my face!"

Sighing, I placed Naomi on her blanket, surrounded by her toys, and she stopped crying. Shaking my head, I then went to kitchen. Wetting a rag, I began to clean as much of the puke off me. I thought back to what Skylar had said earlier, about the nursery rhymes. "Twinkle, twinkle little star…" I sang under my breath, but I was unable to come up with the other words. "Yeah, I don't know it."

I took another couple of minutes to clean up, then headed back to the living room to try again with Naomi. But she was nowhere to be found.

"Naomi!" I shouted, staring in shock at the empty blanket.

**Chase's POV**

"Wait, back up." Kaz managed through the chuckles. Adam and Leo were catching us all up to speed on what we'd missed at the Academy. "You won him in a poker game? Like, you actually won him?"

"Yep." Leo grinned proudly. "And now Logan is my slave."

"We never should have left." Calla commented, shaking her head in amusement, just as the hyperlift doors opened. But instead of Bree, Mr. Davenport, Skylar, or Tasha, it was Naomi that came out, crawling on all fours.

"No!" Oliver protested, leaping behind Kaz and Dani for protection. We all looked at him, confused.

"He has a thing about babies." Dani explained.

"They don't have kneecaps! It's unnatural!" Oliver shouted, panicked.

"Well, I see Bree's doing a wonderful job babysitting." Calla commented dryly as Naomi crawled towards us. "I mean, it took her, what, sixteen, minutes to lose the baby?"

"It took me at least eighteen." Adam commented, shaking his head.

"Chase, you mind picking her up before she gets into all of that?" Dani suggested. Chase looked at her, confused.

"I don't know anything about babies! You do it!" He protested. She stared at him, genuinely aghast.

"Are you kidding? I'll drop it." She stated, completely serious.

"Pathetic." Calla muttered, walking over and scooping Naomi up in her arms. The baby cooed happily in her arms, her tiny hands grabbing at her necklace. "No, Naomi. No necklace for you."

"Let me see her." Kaz offered, reaching for Naomi. Calla went to hand her off to him, but the moment he touched her, he jumped back, confused.

"It's squishy!" He exclaimed, surprised, as he stumbled backwards into the consol, knocking the entire bowl of fruit off the table.

"Kaz!" Calla and I scolded at the same time. I bent down to pick the fruit up. Calla placed Naomi back on the ground.

"I'll help." She offered, grabbing an apple before it could roll away. We quickly recovered most of the fruit.

"I can't find the mangoes." I announced. Dani, Kaz, Adam, Leo, and Oliver all began to look for them.

"Found it." Kaz called a moment later, walking over and handing it to me. Calla dropped all of her fruit on the consol.

"Hey, where's the aging device?" She questioned. We all looked around.

"Aw, look!" Adam laughed suddenly, pointing near the consol. "She thinks it's a toy!"

"Shit!" Calla swore, dropping to the ground in hopes of snatching the device away from Naomi. But it was too late; before any of us could reach, Naomi but the device in her mouth, accidently pressing a button. The infant was covered in a bright blue light, then began to grow until she was about 5 and a half feet tall, and about 12 years old.

We all stared at her, eyes wide. After a moment, Oliver spoke up. "See? Kneecaps." He whispered to his sister.

"Whoa! What happened?" Naomi gasped, her vocabulary also having been aged 12 years.

"Aw, her first words." Adam joked just as the hyperlift opened up. Bree stepped out, a panicked look on her face.

"Hey, have you guys seen Naomi?" She demanded.

"I'm Naomi!" Naomi offered, grinning widely. Bree's eyes went as wide as saucers, staring at her.

"NAOMI?!" She demanded.

"I'm a big girl now!" The former infant exclaimed happily. Bree turned to stare at Calla and I.

"What is going on? Did you let her play with one of your little nerd toys?" She demanded. I looked at her, offended. As if I would purposely let a kid play with some dangerous tech.

"No!" I snapped. "She wandered down here and got a hold of one of my little nerd toys."

Bree sighed. "She must have crawled into the hyperlift while I was cleaning up." She realized. Leo put his arm around her shoulder.

"So, what I'm hearing is that this is your fault." He smirked. She pushed him away from her, annoyed.

"Turn her back right now." Bree ordered, looking at me.

"Don't know how." I explained. "I haven't been able to crack age reversal yet, but if you're looking for bumpy veins and liver spots, I'm your man."

"Well, you need to help, because Tasha and Mr. Davenport are going to be back any minute, and I promised them that I would do a good job taking care of Naomi!" Bree explained, beginning to panic once more.

"Well, I think you did a great job." Dani offered, smirking. "I mean, in a short couple of hours, you managed to raise a polite, well-adjusted teenager."

Bree turned to glare at the electrokinetic just as Skylar walked into mission command. "Hey guys." She greeted, smiling. She paused when she saw Naomi, a confused look crossing her face. "Who is this?"

"Naomi." Kaz explained, chuckling. "She crawled away while Bree was babysitting, and now she's a big, goofy teenager."

Skylar shook her head in exasperation. "Wow, Bree, you are really not good at taking care of kids."

**Bree's POV**

"Okay, here we go." I zipped up the hoodie that I'd wrapped around Naomi. "That should keep you warm."

Naomi beamed, hugging herself happily. "Look at that; your hoodie fits you perfectly." Skylar chuckled, amused.

"Ooh! Toys!" Naomi gasped, running over to the table and grabbing one of the large, decorative spheres.

"Naomi, no!" I exclaimed, trying to pull it away from her before she could put it in her mouth. Even with Skylar pulling as well, it was difficult to get Naomi to budge.

"That's mine!" She shouted indigently. Just then, the front door opened and Mr. Davenport and Tasha walked in.

"Hey! You're back!" I exclaimed, forcing a fake smile on my face and stepping in front of Naomi to hide her from view. I mean, I knew I wouldn't really be able to hide her – I wasn't stupid – but maybe if I could obstruct their view of her, they might think it was Calla or Dani. I mean, aside from her height, hair, darker skin color, eyes, and facial shape, she looked just like them, right? Yeah…this wasn't going to work.

"Hey girls. Who's your friend?" Mr. Davenport inquired, taking Tasha's jacket and placing it on the coat hanger.

"What friend?" I tried playing dumb.

"Hi!" Naomi waved her hands friendlily. "Hi!"

"Oh, that friend. This is…Jenny." I said the first name that came to mind. "Her name is Jenny!"

Naomi ran past us and tackle-hugged Tasha, then Mr. Davenport. "Mama! Da-da!"

"She's weird." Skylar supplied, in way of explanation.

"I can tell." Mr. Davenport replied, peeling Naomi off of him.

"So, how did it go with Naomi?"

"Great. Perfect." I lied nervously. "Awesome."

"Yeah, I think all the time she spent with Bree really made her grow as a person." Skylar commented. I elbowed her, not at all pleased with her little joke.

"So, where is our little girl?" Mr. Davenport questioned, a little suspicious.

"Down in mission command." Skylar lied. "With the boys."

"She was just so adorable that they couldn't resist babysitting her." I added, watching as Naomi played with a set of keys that were sitting on the counter. I just hoped that she wouldn't try to eat them. "She's just so darn cute."

"Maybe I should go check on her…" Tasha commented thoughtfully.

"No!" I exclaimed quickly. Both she and Davenport looked at me sharply. "I mean, you guys have been working so hard at taking care of her – let the boys take over for a bit. You guys should sit down and relax."

"Yeah." Skylar nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Naomi had found a soccer ball – Dani's, probably – sitting under the kitchen table. She began to play with it, throwing it up in the air and giggling happily.

"Is she okay?" Tasha questioned.

"Yeah…she's fine. She's just a bit of a kook." I replied. "When she gets bored she starts tossing things up in the air and…" I gulped, noticing that the keys were now missing. "…eating keys. I'm going to bring her downstairs, while you guys…uh, get to know Skylar."

"What? No! Don't leave me with them!" Skylar protested. Both Tasha and Mr. Davenport looked at her, disappointed. "I mean, because that would be so selfish! You and Bree should catch up."

"Please, we're fine. We talk all the time." I insisted. Davenport and Tasha looked at me like I was crazy.

"Every time I call, you pretend to be Kaz and then hang up on me." "You won't even give me your phone number." They pointed out.

"I'll give you Bree's number." Skylar offered. "But I don't know it by heart. It's in my phone though. It's downstairs. Jenny and I will go get it."

Skylar sped over to Naomi, grabbed her hands, then sped down to Mission Command, leaving me alone with my parents. "Well, that was rude." I commented. "Almost as rude as this."

I sped down to Mission Command before they could ask me any more questions. "Please tell me it's going well down here." I begged the others when I reached their floor.

"I could, but that would be a tremendous lie." Leo told me.

"Adam keeps eating the testing fruit." Calla explained, slapping my brother's hands away from the banana she and Chase were experimenting on.

"Okay, well, Tasha and Mr. Davenport are getting suspicious." I told them. I turned to Dani, Kaz, and Oliver. "You guys need to go upstairs and stall them."

"Why us?" Kaz protested.

"Because you guys are the kings and queen of meaningless conversation." I reasoned. Dani shrugged.

"Well, she's not wrong." Dani replied, shrugging. The three of them headed upstairs.

"Hey, I think I got it." Chase said suddenly. Calla leaned over and looked at the formula he inputted into the aging device.

"Yeah, that looks like it could work." She agreed. "What did you do?"

"Well, I figured, by tightening the telomeres to the DNA before the cell divided itself-" Chase began to explain, but I didn't have time for that.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. No one cares!" Adam told him. Chase looked at him, annoyed before turning the device to point at Naomi.

"Here we go." Chase announced, pressing a button. Like earlier, Naomi was bathed in a blue light.

"It's working." I sighed in relief when I saw that she was shrinking. But when the light faded, and her boy was back to the size and shape of a toddler, I realized one horrible thing – the device had not affected her head at all. It was still the head of a twelve-year-old.

"Eugh." Leo grimaced, eyes wide. We all stared at her, shocked.

"Uh, I didn't get a great look at her before. Is she supposed to look like that?" Chase questioned. I turned on him and Calla.

"I thought you said it would work!" I exclaimed.

"I said it  _could_  work." Calla corrected. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Hey, it's Chase's device."

"Thanks." Chase rolled his eyes. "I don't know how it could have happened. I should have tested it on more fruit." He turned to try it on a piece of fruit, but it was all gone. "Where's my fruit?"

Looking over, I saw Adam and Skylar both hastily swallowing what was left of their bananas. "Oops." My older brother said with a full mouth.

"Seriously?" Calla demanded, exasperated.

"Sorry." Skylar apologized, wiping her mouth. I turned to Calla and Chase.

"Fix this." I ordered.

"Okay, chill. Why don't we grab some more fruit and more equipment, and see what we can do." Calla suggested.

"Calla and I can make a trip to the grocery store." Leo offered, pitching it.

"You can handle the equipment on your own?" Calla questioned Chase, grabbing her purse.

"Skylar and Adam are going to help me." He told her. She nodded and left with Leo, taking a short cut through the tunnels.

"Why us?" Skylar protested.

"But you ate my banana!" Chase snapped, obviously annoyed.

**Chase's POV**

"Okay, your mom scares me." Dani told Leo, walking into Mission Command. In the past twenty minutes, he, along with Calla and Chase, had managed to get Naomi back to twelve-year-old form, but not back to a baby.

"Where is Tasha and Mr. Davenport?" Skylar questioned.

"Well, they were insisting that something was up, so Ollie and Kaz took them flying around the city…against their will." She explained.

"Is that safe?" Leo questioned skeptically. Dani nodded.

"Ollie almost never drops anyone." She assured him.

"Well, she's back to normal." I announced as I finished measuring Naomi's head. Bree stared at me.

"Normal?" She repeated. "Chase, she's a baby trapped in a twelve-year-old's body! That ain't normal!"

"Well, on my planet-" Skylar began, only for Bree to spin around and cut her off.

"You aren't helping!" She retorted, silencing the alien girl.

"I want my mama." Naomi whimpered, frowning. Bree sighed and walked over to the girl, placing her hands on our sister's shoulders.

"Naomi, I am so sorry." She apologized sincerely. "This whole thing is my fault. I just wanted to spend time with you and prove that I could be a good big sister, not just to your parents, but to myself. I wanted you to look up to me. But now that this whole thing happened, you probably think I am the worst sister ever."

"I think that." Adam spoke up, only to get slapped upside the head by both Calla and Skylar.

"Those are a lot of words." Naomi told Bree, eyes wide. My sister, the older one, sighed.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're just a baby." She murmured. Naomi smiled at her.

"You're nice." She told Bree, before hugging her tightly. Bree smiled and hugged her back.

"Hey," Calla murmured, grabbing my attention once more. "What if we do this?"

She held up the formula on the device. "Maybe, but I think we should tweak this."

I began to work on Calla's formula, because, while it was much closer to the solution than anything I'd come up with earlier, she hadn't taken into account the fact that we needed Naomi to de-age to a specific age. The current formula would just made her de-age until the battery ran out in the device.

Meanwhile, the doors to mission command opened up, and Mr. Davenport and Tasha walked in, neither looking too happy, with Kaz and Oliver trailing behind them. "What is going on?" Mr. Davenport demanded, annoyed.

"Da-da!" Naomi squealed happily.

"Stay!" Dani snapped, forcing Naomi to sit.

Bree looked at us nervously, then sighed. "Look, Tasha, Mr. Davenport, after you left, I turned my back on Naomi for, like, two seconds-"

"We found the fix!" I exclaimed, grinning when the formula was correct. Everyone looked at me.

"For one of our nerdy science things. Carry on." Calla assured the others, giving Bree a pointed look. Mr. Davenport crossed his arms and looked at Bree.

"You were saying?" He questioned suspiciously. "You turned your back on Naomi for two seconds and…"

"And-and when I turned back, she looked so cute," Bree lied, "I just have to take a picture. Let me show you."

She pulled out her phone and pulled their attention away from the rest of us. I sprung into action, quickly turning the device on Naomi while Skylar, Calla, Adam, Kaz, Oliver, and Leo stepped between us and them, keeping their view obstructed in case Mr. Davenport or Tasha looked over.

"That's not it, that's not it. I don't even know what that is." Bree said loudly as she swiped through her photo album.

"You have a lot of pictures of Jaden on here." Mr. Davenport observed. Thankfully, this time, when the device finished its work, Naomi was back to her normal age, including her head.

"A lot." Tasha agreed. "Honey, I think we should talk."

"Hey." Leo pulled Naomi into his arms and walked over to Mr. Davenport and Tasha. "Why look a picture of Naomi when you can just look at the real thing?"

"There you are, sweetie." Tasha took Naomi from Leo, smiling down at her baby girl. "I was starting to think something had happened to you."

"I'm still not entirely convinced something didn't happen." Mr. Davenport added, looking pointedly at us. We all made sure to give him our best 'who, me?' smiles.

"What? Nothing happened." Bree lied.

"Yeah." Adam agreed. "It's not like we turned her into a twelve year old or something! Oof!" He groaned when Bree elbowed him really hard in the gut.

"What an oddly specific joke." Dani smiled brightly. Tasha frowned as she adjusted her grip on Naomi.

"That's odd." She frowned. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you got bigger since I left."

"No way, that's impossible." Calla commented, even as she covered Adam's mouth to prevent him from saying anything stupid.

"That's crazy." "No way." Oliver and Skylar chimed in helpfully.

"She might have." Kaz admitted. Bree glared at him, shutting him up.

**Bree's POV**

"This is awesome, Mom." Leo commented, digging into his meal. Tasha had insisted on cooking dinner, and had gone all out. From the juicy burgers (including a black bean patty for Dani) to the mashed potatoes and the corn, it was obvious that she was trying to make an event out of this.

"Seriously, Tasha, you're a pretty good cook." Oliver added. Tasha beamed at the two.

"Well, it's nice to be appreciated." She replied. "And its especially nice to not have an annoying AI insulting your food every other minute."

"Ah, Eddy." I smiled. I had to admit – I almost missed his snarkiness. Almost.

"So, what is this announcement you wanted to make?" Adam asked eagerly.

"Wait, you guys don't know?" Kaz questioned, surprised. Leo shook his head.

"No." He replied. Mr. Davenport glanced at Tasha, then stood up.

"Alright, so as a few of you know, it's been a big year for me, between Naomi," he smiled down at his daughter fondly, "and some of the big things happening at Davenport Industries. It's been particularly busy, and I haven't had nearly as much time to devote to either of them. So, I've decided to go into early retirement."

"Early retirement?" Dani questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you, like, eighty?"

"No!" Mr. Davenport shook his head at her, mildly offended.

"Oh. I guess I lost that bet." She slipped Kaz a twenty, who pocketed it with a smirk.

"You're seriously going to retire?" I asked. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"You guys have all pointed out the…mistakes I made when I raised you guys, and I wanted to try again with Naomi. I've got more than enough money to retire on, and this way I can give her my full attention." He explained.

"Aw, that's sweet." Skylar smiled. Tasha scoffed.

"Please. He's doing it so he can work on his own inventions all day rather than actual work." She commented. Yeah, that made sense.

"So, when do you leave?" Leo asked. "And when do I take over?"

Mr. Davenport chuckled. "I'll be leaving the company next summer…and Calla is going to succeed me."

Having not expected the conversation to go in that direction, Calla choked on her drink. Coughing harshly, she looked at Mr. Davenport, confused. "W-What?"

"I want you to take over the company when I leave. I want Davenport Industries to stay in the family, and as your and Chase's wedding is in a few weeks, that makes you family. And no one cares about the tech more than you." He clarified. Calla nodded.

"Yeah, what? Seriously?" She stared. "Me?" He nodded, a little bemused by her reaction. "Seriously?"

"You didn't know?" Kaz guessed, amused. She shook her head.

"Oh my God, no, but…" It figures; Calla could wrap her head around bionics, aliens, and even superheroes, but not this. "What about Chase? I figured when you retired, you'd leave it to him."

"I don't want it." Chase assured her. "I want to go into politics, and I don't want to be worrying about running a business and an election campaign at the same time. I want to run the country one day, and running a country and running a business are two very different things. Besides, it's not exactly a secret that you want to run a company like Davenport Industries."

"Yeah, but-seriously?" By this point, Calla's confusion was absolutely hilarious.

"Dude, just say yes." Kaz told her.

"Yes?" Calla looked back at Davenport, then managed to regain her composure. "I mean, thank you, sir. I'd be honored to succeed you."

"There's a couple of conditions. One, if you're going to stay a part of the team, that's great, but I think you should find a personal assistant to help you out if that's the case. And two, try and keep Leo involved, would you?" He smirked at Leo. "We'll never hear the end of it if you don't."

"Agreed." Calla nodded. She looked at Leo. "I have a few ideas of what he can do."

"If you make me a janitor, I will sabotage your wedding." He threatened. We all laughed at that, amused.


	16. The Attack

** Skylar's POV **

"This game is taking forever." I complained, moving my character piece. It had been Bree's turn to choose the board game, and after Calla had threatened to throw Dani's Yahtzee game box out the window (the electrokinetic was determined to get the full account as to why she hated the game), Bree had decided on Monopoly. She'd made that decision three days ago, and there was still yet to be a winner. Dani had lost early on, then Chase and Oliver had quit sometime that night. Calla had just given up last night, leaving just me, Kaz, and Bree left to play. "What is the point of this?"

"To win." Bree insisted, grabbing the dice and rolling them. She moved her character pawn several spaces, just as Kaz's phone vibrated. He rolled the dice, then picked up the phone. His face twisted in confusion, then bemusement.

"Oliver," he looked over his shoulder at his best friend, who was sitting on the couch, watching TV "why did you just send me a text that says I make you feel all tingly inside?"

"What?" Oliver looked up in surprise. He looked at his phone, then cursed under his breath. "Sorry. That wasn't meant for you; it was meant for Skylar. It's my big thumbs; they're a curse."

"Well, since it's out in the open, I saw we all discuss this tingly feeling." Kaz teased.

"Hey, no." Bree scolded gently, giving me a small smirk. Oliver and I were dating now, I guess, though it was pretty early in the relationship. We'd really only been on a few dates, and though they were pretty fun – the last one, he'd taken me to one of those retro roller rinks that he had gone to a few times when he was younger – I still wasn't entirely sure how fast I wanted this relationship to go. Oliver, on the other hand, had yet to stop lighting up every time he saw me, or sending me flirty texts every so often.

"Uh, guys?" Dani came walking down the stairs, staring at her hands. "You remember back when we were all still discovering our superpowers? I think I got another one?"

"Really?" "Cool." Oliver and Kaz grinned. Dani raised an eyebrow.

"Not really." She raised her hands and a beam of light burst from them, lighting up the ground. "Flashlight hands. What good are these?"

"I'm sure they're plenty useful. Look at Spotlight." I offered, trying to be helpful.

"He can manipulate light. This is different." Dani insisted, shaking her head. "I have a phone app that can do this."

"Dani, your new powers may seem lame," I began, only for Kaz to cut in.

"And hysterical." He added, earning a glare from his girlfriend.

"But trust me," I continued, ignoring him, "there must be a purpose. A big part of being a superhero is getting used to your powers and knowing how and when to use them."

"Like when there's a power outage." Calla added cheerfully, walking down the stairs. She had a clipboard in her hands.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Oliver questioned, confused.

"Well, Chase texted me to let me know he found a potential candidate for my new assistant. I suggested that we do the interviews here, since whoever we choose will have to get to know the team." She explained. "Oh, by the way, does anyone have plans later?"

We all looked at each other. "Not that I know of." "Not really." We all replied. She smiled.

"Good, because that project I've been working on with my government funding is nearly done, and I want to show you guys." She decided. Kaz groaned.

"You're gonna make us go look at one of your nerd things?" He complained.

"Kaz, be supportive." I warned. Calla smiled.

"No, it's okay. Kaz, I promise you, it's not a nerd thing, and I think you guys are really going to like it." Calla insisted. She paused. "Or hate it. But I'm hoping for the former." She paused as the door opened. "Oh, hey Douglas."

Immediately, I could tell that something was wrong. Douglas was tense, a deep frown on his face. "What's wrong, Douglas?" Bree questioned, turning around in her seat.

"Not sure. Something strange is going on outside." He told us. "The whole city feels eerie. There are a lot more police sirens than usual."

Pausing, I listened to the background noise outside and sure enough, the sound of police sirens were much louder than usual. "What do you think it is?" I questioned.

"I don't know. But something's definitely not right." He decided just as the front door opened once more. Chase walked in, a tall, dark haired girl in tow. She was pretty, with big glasses, and ripped jeans.

"Hey guys, this is Reese." He announced. "She's going to be Calla's new assistant."

"Doesn't she have to interview?" I asked, confused.

"I am literally the only one who answered the flier." Reese pointed out.

"She makes a good point." Calla decided.

** Dani's POV **

"Douglas is right." Skylar announced, coming in from the veranda. "Those sirens are really loud out there."

"Do you think we should go check it out?" Ollie asked. I shrugged.

"Sirens mean the police are on it." I replied, checking my phone again. Kaz frowned, noticing this.

"That's the eighth time you've done that. You waiting for a text?" He questioned.

"A call." I replied absently. Realizing that they were expecting more than that, I cleared my throat. "Um…from Liv. She said she'd call me."

"What about?" Skylar inquired. "Is it about how her new team doing?"

"Uh, yeah." I nodded quickly. "She wanted more information about a new hero they're looking at. I promised I'd get it to her."

Ollie frowned, though he didn't say anything. Kaz and Skylar, on the other hand, shrugged and went back to their game. Meanwhile, Calla and Chase were asking Reese about her past experience as an assistant. Although she was only college age, she'd already worked as a personal assistant for a couple of high-end salespeople. Chase and Calla were charmed, of course, at her flawless record and her eagerness to work.

"I love making coffee." Reese was saying. I smirked; oh yeah, she and Calla were going to get along just fine. "It's the most essential part of every morning."

"Trust me, you'll be doing a lot of coffee making." Chase chuckled. Calla rolled her eyes at him.

"And what about organizational skills? My life is kinda all over the place, between this team and my own inventions. Add running a company to that, and it's going to be a mess. How do you plan on helping me with that?" Calla questioned. Reese didn't even hesitate, having anticipated the question.

"I have my own organizational system that will allow me to help you manage your priorities, allowing enough time to get everything done, and in the proper order so that nothing is neglected." Reese began. I started tuning her out again, bored of the conversation already.

I glanced at my phone again, getting impatient. I'd been told to expect a call anywhere from now to the next couple of weeks, but I'd been hoping to get it sooner or later. It had been way too long, and with everything going on with Roman and Riker…well, I had an idea how we could stop them, and any other villain that we had to, and even though I knew the others definitely wouldn't approve, I was hoping it could work.

"Okay, what's up?" Ollie questioned, sitting on the couch next to me. I looked at him, confused, and he rolled his eyes. "I know that look; something's up. Talk to me."

"It's nothing, Ollie." I insisted. He raised an eyebrow. "Drop it."

"Is it about Mom?" He guessed. I looked at him sharply. "C'mon, Dee. We both know that tomorrow would have been Horace and Mom's one year anniversary. It's okay to be thinking about it."

I slumped back into the couch and rolled my head to look at him. "Do we have to talk about it right now?"

"You haven't talked about it at all." He pointed out. I rolled my eyes, annoyed. "Seriously Dee, at least I've talked about it. I know you and Mom kinda hated each other-"

"We didn't hate each other." I mumbled. He paused. "We didn't get along, but in the end we were trying, and then everything went to hell." I sighed. "Honestly, Ollie, it's been a full year and you know what bothers me the most? I don't hate her for it."

"Well, she is our mom. I don't hate her either." He added, trying to be helpful. I shook my head.

"I should, though, right? She's a criminal and she killed at least one person…but…" I sighed irritably. I sent him a half-hearted glare. "Look, I don't talk about it for a reason, and that's because it's freaking confusing when you're supposed to hate the woman who originally became a criminal because someone threatened to hurt you. So, I'm going to just pretend tomorrow wouldn't have been the anniversary, alright? Alright."

I stood up to leave just as Douglas came down the stairs. He glanced at Reese before looking at the rest of us. "Uh, can I have a word with you guys? In private?"

"Sure." Calla nodded. She smiled at Reese. "Reese, why don't you go to the kitchen? Grab whatever you want out of the fridge."

"Okay." Reese nodded and got up, heading for the fridge, while Douglas pulled us to the other end of the room.

"You remember how I told you something weird was going on? Well, I was just watching the Channel 5 News with Chip and Dixie, and they said strange things have been happening all over the city." He told us seriously.

"Aside from people calling themselves Chip and Dixie?" Skylar questioned. Douglas pointedly ignored her.

"Fires, ruptured gas lines, all sorts of random destruction." He continued. "And get this: eyewitnesses are saying it all started with a mysterious black swarm."

We all exchanged looks. "Hey, we know a mysterious black swarm." Kaz remembered, grinning before he realized what that meant. "Oh."

"Roman and Riker." Chase muttered, angrily.

"Hold on. Let's not jump to conclusions." Ollie reassured us. 'It is tornado season." We all looked at him and he shrugged. "Douglas isn't the only one who watches Chip and Dixie."

"They must be changing up their strategy." Bree realized. "Instead of attacking us, they're attacking the people of Centium City."

"But why?" I asked, confused. It seemed like a waste of their time – it didn't get them anything, after all.

"Because they couldn't get the superhero list." Skylar said thoughtfully. "Instead of fighting the superheroes themselves, I bet they're trying to lure them out by using innocent civilians as bait."

"I'll go down and use the encrypted network to warn Liv and the others." Kaz offered. He started towards the hyperlift, but before he could get there, the room went dark.

"The hell?" Calla muttered, walking over to the window, the darkened sky barely giving us enough light to see. "The whole city just went black."

"Don't just stand there." Kaz turned to look at me, a grin on his face. "Dee, turn on your flashlight hands."

"Seriously?" I looked at him and shook my head.

"This isn't good." Chase muttered. Douglas looked at us.

"You guys need to suit up and get out there." He told us. Calla nodded, then turned to Reese.

"Reese, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to l-" "Stay here." Chase cut her off. She looked at him sharply. "It's safer than her heading out onto the streets, where Roman and Riker are."

"Fair point." Calla nodded. "Yeah, stay here. Sorry."

"It's okay." Reese assured her, sitting down on the couch and pulling out her phone. "I've got a full charge."

"Let's go." Skylar rushed us. As we raced upstairs, I saw Chase paused. He looked at his phone, a confused look coming over his face.

"Oliver, why did you just invite me to a post-mission cuddle session?" He questioned. Kaz laughed loudly as Ollie cursed.

"Stupid thumbs." He muttered, following Kaz into their room. The door closed for a moment before he poked his head out of the room. "Hey, can you forward that to Skylar?"

** Skylar's POV **

Ten minutes later and we patrolled the streets, keeping a close eye out for Roman and Riker as we dealt with the destruction they'd left in their wake. "They trashed the entire city." Bree shook her head in horrified amazement as we watched Oliver put out a car fire.

"I don't understand how they could do this much damage so fast." Calla murmured.

"Shh, shh." Chase hushed her quickly. "Listen."

We all stopped talking and cast our attention to the sounds of the city. There were the usual sounds – honking horns, police sirens – but above it was the familiar sound of a buzzing swarm. "I can't see them." Kaz hissed worriedly, head craning as he tried to spot the black swarm. But it was already dark out, between the clouds and the lack of power in the city, making it harder to see, particularly if you were trying to locate something similar to a black cloud.

"Everyone get ready." Chase warned, balling his fists.

"It sounds like they're coming from every direction." Bree commented, eyes scanning the sky. The buzzing sound grew louder, but none of us could see the shapeshifting duo anywhere.

"Where are they?" I questioned. A moment later, a terrified civilian ran out from a side street, being chased by a large swarm. It surrounded him, lifting him off the ground.

"Well, I think we found them." Kaz commented, even as I raised my hand and blasted the swarm with a ball of energy. The swarm dispersed, dropping the man a few feet to the ground.

"Run for cover!" Bree shouted, watching the swarm to make sure it didn't reform.

** Reese's POV **

I looked at my phone, tapping my foot impatiently. The man who had sent the others away looked at me, trying to think of another way to start a conversation.

"So, Chip and Dixie say there's a new panda at the zoo." It was his fifth attempt to start an awkward conversation with me.

"We can just sit here in silence if you want." I suggested. Maybe he'd get bored and leave. He sighed in relief.

"Oh, thank God." He leaned back to relax, just as the door burst open and a short, large woman with curly red hair burst in, looking frazzled.

"Douglas!" She cried in relief. She paused, looking at me. "Who's the tween? Did you make another one?"

"No, Perry, she's applying to be Calla's assistant." He explained. Perry nodded.

"I saw the news. The city is being overrun by a giant swarm." She told Douglas. She sat down on the couch and curled up to him. "I'm scared, Dougie."

Douglas immediately got off the couch, putting some space between him and Perry. "And now I'm scared." I smirked, bemused. "Look, the team is out taking care of it."

"But what if they don't? What if they never come back?" Perry questioned. I sat back, watching the exchange. "Then you and I will have this giant penthouse all to ourselves…ooh. Just like that, I'm rooting for the bad guys."

"I'm going to go up to the roof." Douglas decided. "There's an emergency generator to get some light in here."

"I'll go with you." Perry offered. She smiled dreamily. "I once had a dream that we were up on the roof: two young baes under a blanket of stars…"

"Sounds nice; did I jump?" Douglas questioned. Perry looked at him, hurt. "Look, just stay here with Reese until I get back."

"That's okay. She doesn't have to." I hastened to assure him.

"Stay." He insisted, heading out the door. Perry looked at me, then smiled.

"Look at us, two pretty girls, in the big city, waiting in the dark, you for your career, me for my gentlemen caller. You know what we should do?" She grinned. "Make overs! We can surprise them!"

"No, that's okay-" I began. I didn't have time to be playing make-up artist with some old lady.

"I know what you're thinking. How could I get any more beautiful, right?" Well, not exactly, but whatever floats her boat. "Well, if I'm being honest, the makeover is more for you than it is for me."

She got up and grabbed me by the wrist, with a grasp so tight that I couldn't pull away. "Come on." She began to drag me upstairs. "I'm going to make you look so glamorous."

** Dani's POV **

"Hurry up!" Ollie shouted over his shoulder as Chase and I led a group of people to safety. My brother raised his hands, blasting the swarm with an icy blast in order to keep it off our tails. Once the people were on their way out of the streets and to safety, Chase and I ran back to the others.

"We have to get these people out of here." Bree told us as another coupe ran past us. I gasped, suddenly noticing a swarm heading straight for her and Calla.

"Guys, look out!" Skylar shouted in warning. Both girls looked up at the same time. Bree sped forward, grabbing a civilian and speeding her to safety, while Calla formed a proton disk, spun around to give herself momentum, and threw it into the swarm. It circled itself a couple of times, breaking up the swarm, before returning to her hand.

"Calla, you had a point earlier. How can they be causing so much damage?" Chase commented, confused. "There's only two of them."

Before anyone could respond, another swarm burst out from a manhole cover. "I've got this!" Kaz shouted, shooting a burst of flames into it before it could attack. It retreated backwards, out of the flames, and flew past us, but Skylar was on it. She did a flip in the air to avoid it, then blasted it herself. It screamed in pain, flying away.

"There are too many swarms. I didn't know that Roman and Riker's swarm could split up and be in the different places at the same time." Bree commented, glancing at us. Kaz, Ollie, and I exchanged looks.

"They can't." Kaz told her solemnly.

"Guys," Skylar looked at us, a look of sickened realization crossing her face. "We're not just fighting Roman and Riker. We're fighting multiple shapeshifters."

"There are more of them?" Calla questioned, completely done with the situation. Suddenly, as if to prove Skylar's point, four swarms appeared in the sky above us, circling us. We all fell back into a somewhat protective stance, our backs to each other to provide additional protection.

"There's too many of them." Oliver whispered, eyes wide. "We're outnumbered."

"We can do this." Skylar assured him. "We just need to concentrate on taking out one swarm at a time."

"But how?" Bree shot back.

"Maybe Dani could distract them with her flashlight-" Kaz began. I turned to glare at him.

"Enough." I snapped, only making him grin wider. Suddenly, one of the swarms shot down at us, floating through and us shoving us away from each other. I stumbled, grabbing onto Kaz's arm to balance myself. I looked at him, eyes wide. We couldn't do this. There were too many of them, and not enough of us. And the only idea I had that could save us…it wouldn't work in time. Not in time to save the city, to save us…

"We can do this." Chase insisted, when he saw that every one of our faces mirrored each other's. "We can't give up."

"He right." Skylar agreed. "If we can't stop Roman, Riker, and whoever their friends are, then they're going to destroy the city, then take out every other superhero in the world. It's up to use to save them and our city."

Before anyone could protest, another swarm raced towards us, this time aiming to actually hit us. It barreled right through Kaz and Bree, though the later managed to side-step it at the last minute. Bree barely lost her balance, but Kaz was thrown to the ground, landing hard on his leg.

"Kaz!" Bree shouted as I ran towards him.

"I'm okay." He groaned, rubbing his leg before taking my hand and getting to his feet.

"We can't win." Ollie shook his head helplessly. "This is a suicide mission."

"No." Skylar shook her head. "It'll be tough, but…we  _can_  do this. We are an elite force." She held her hand out in the middle of all of us. "Who's with me?"

We all sighed, looking at each other. "If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting." Chase decided, placing his hand in the middle. Calla's hand touched the top of his.

"Together." She declared. I sighed.

"Well, if I'm going to die, might as well take you guys with me." I placed my hand on top of hers.

"That's the spirit, Dee." Kaz chuckled, his hand going into the middle next. "I'm in."

"Let's kick some ass." Bree agreed. Ollie was the last to place his hand on the pile.

"I guess I'm in too." He agreed.

"Wow, you really do have big thumbs." Skylar realized, looking closely at my brother's hand. "Look at that sucker!"

Ollie pulled his hand away self-consciously, frowning, just as the swarms above us began to circle each other. "What are they doing?" Bree demanded, backing away as the fast-circling swarms began to descend.

"They're banding together!" Ollie realized as the swarms stopped circling, forming together to create one large, dangerous swarm.

"Brace yourselves!" Chase shouted, grabbing both Calla and Bree's arms, while creating a forcefield around us. I tensed up as the swarm hit the forcefield. For a moment, the force field seemed to be holding them off. And then, it shattered, and we were hit with the full force of the swarm.

** Reese's POV **

I looked up as the lights in the penthouse turned back on. Perry had already gone downstairs, so I guessed that Douglas had turned on the generator. Good, it would make things easier.

I turned around, then grimaced when I caught sight of my reflection. Perry had really done a number on me; between the overly done blush and the too heavy, sparkly, purple eyeshadow, I looked like a six-year-old who'd broken into their mother's make-up kit.

"Come on down, Reese!" Perry called up to me. I cast another glance into the mirror.

"I don't want to!" I called back, reaching for some make-up remover. Maybe I could get rid of enough of it to look presentable.

"Get down here, girlie!" Perry snapped. Sighing, I dropped the make-up remover and headed back down to the main floor. Perry grinned at me.

"I think it's a little much." I admitted.

"Oh, it's a lot too much." She agreed. "It's perfect!"

Douglas took that moment to walk into the apartment. "Okay, I was able to turn the generator-" He stopped when he saw Perry and I. Though his reaction didn't appear to be a happy one, Perry smiled at him.

"Hi Dougie." She sang flirtatiously.

"And now I'm going to go turn it off again." Douglas backed out of the apartment. Perry followed him.

"You haven't seen the best part: I rouged my bunions." She stopped at the door. "Be right back." She told me before racing after him.

"Take your time!" I called after her. Once I was sure she was gone, I smirked. "I have work to do. Hyperlift, open."

The hyperlift doors slid open and I stepped in. I pulled out my phone, then sent a text to my father. "I'm in."

** Dani's POV **

I didn't remember hitting the ground, or blacking out, but when I woke up on the ground, my entire body aching, I knew that the swarm must have overpowered Chase's forcefield. I slowly got to my feet, just as the others were waking up.

"Whoa!" Calla exclaimed, drawing my attention to the tall, dark-clothed man standing above us. I knew who he was instantly, the man looking too much like Roman and Riker to be anyone but their father. "Who the hell are you?"

"Roddiseus." Kaz confirmed, helping Ollie up. The others all watched the former hero apprehensively. "I recognize him from Mighty Med."

"We had to take away his powers to save his life." I added. Oh God, what a mistake that had been. If we had just let him die that day, maybe Horace and the other superheroes would still be alive.

"I have a question." Ollie interrupted. He looked at Roddiseus, a serious expression on his face. "Isn't it a pain to write out your name all the time? Wouldn't it be easier to go by Rod?"

"No." Roddiseus responded coolly.

"Roddiseus it is." Ollie sighed, backing up. Roddiseus smirked.

"I see that your pathetic, little Elite Force has finally realized that you're no match for my family of shapeshifters."

"Family?" Bree echoed. "How many kids do you have?"

"Thirteen." Roddiseus replied, a hint of pride in his voice. Even Kaz, who's family was notorious for being incredibly massive, looked surprised by the number. "And believe me, Roman and Riker are the nice ones."

"What does that say about you as a father?" Calla mused. Kaz glared at Roddiseus.

"You can attack this city all you want. But no amount of destruction will ever bring your powers back." He told the villain. "And to be honest, you don't deserve them."

"I may not have my powers, but my children do." He reminded us, smiling cruelly. "And as you can see, they're getting plenty of revenge for me."

"You're attacking innocent people." Skylar spat, disgusted. Roddiseus smiled, making him look a little crazy. Well, more than he already did.

"I know. Isn't it great?" He replied.

"Look, Rod." Ollie paused, then smiled. "See, it's got a nice ring to it."

"Stay focused, Ollie." I said softly. He nodded.

"Look, we're onto your plan. We know that you're attacking these people to lure the other superheroes out." Ollie continued. "But it's not going to work. We're going to take you out first."

To our surprise, Roddiseus laughed. "You think we're trying to lure the superheroes here? No. Our plan is a little more complex than that."

"How so?" Calla questioned suspiciously. Roddiseus smirked.

"We didn't have to bring the superheroes here; I could care less about them. We just had to get you away from your cyber desk." He sneered. We all looked at each other until the answer dawned on us.

"There's someone in the house." Kaz's eyes widened.

"Reese." Skylar realized, eyes going wide.

"No way." Calla shook her head in disbelief.

"She was the best applicant." Chase insisted.

"She was the only applicant." Ollie corrected. He looked at us. "I wonder if that was for a reason."

"My daughter needed to be sure she'd get in." Roddiseus replied.

"Daughter?" Chase repeated, stunned. Roddiseus chuckled.

"I thought it would be a little harder to trick the smartest man in the world." He mocked.

"Come on." Bree looked at us. "We have to get back before she gets the superhero list."

We all started to race back to the Penthouse, but then Roddiseus laughed. It wasn't just a regular, amused laugh, but a victorious one. He thought he had won. He thought he had beaten us.

I hated losing, always had. It wasn't that I always needed to win. I just loathed the idea of someone getting the better of me. It was why I pushed myself so hard in soccer, then video games, and later archery – so that I could win. And Roddiseus, he didn't deserve to win. Not this time.

I turned around, then walked back towards him, feeling the electricity running through my veins. I glared at him hatefully, charging the energy inside me. "What do you want?" He questioned, bemused.

"This is for Horace, and Clone Master, and every other superhero you and your family have killed." I told him, before raising my hands. They lit up like they had before and as I brought my hands together, a ball of electrical energy, more powerful than anything I'd ever felt, formed. I raised my head to meet Roddiseus' gaze, then blasted him in the chest with it for all that I was worth. He hit the ground, and didn't get up. "How do you like those flashlight hands?"

"Dani." I spun around to see Skylar watching me, a surprised and amazed expression on her face. "How did you-"

"I'm not going to lie. That was a total accident." I admitted. She sighed.

"C'mon." She insisted. I ran after her as we tried to catch up with the others.

** Reese's POV **

"The cyberdesk." I grinned happily as I reached the Elite Force's secret base. I stepped up to it, but when I tried to access it, the system refused to turn on.

" _You are not authorized to access the cyber desk."_ A feminine voice told me. I looked up, remembering what my brothers had mentioned of the AI security system.  _"Step away from the consol."_

"How about no?" I replied, raising my hand towards the screen on the wall (the last time Riker was here, he'd made sure to find out where the AI's control center was, specifically for this reason) and blasted it with my energy blasts. The room's lights flickered briefly, but didn't go out, so I turned back to the cyberdesk. This time, when I tried to access it, there was no pesky AI around to stop me. "Now, where is it?" I muttered to myself, swiping through the files. Eventually, though, I found a list, giving all the superheroes names, both alias and real ones, as well as their locations. I quickly started the download process, plugging a flash drive into the cyber desk.

However, before it could finish, a rock wall to my left slid upwards and Douglas ran in. I quickly stepped in front of the cyberdesk, hoping he wouldn't see the holographic screen behind me. "Wait! There's more to my makeover!" Perry's voice came out from the tunnel he'd entered from. "I painted all my toes to look like our future children!"

"You know the rules. No kids in mission command!" Douglas shouted, quickly closing the rock wall. He turned, likely to use the hyperlift, but paused when he saw me. "Reese? What are you doing?"

"I, uh…" Getting caught hadn't been part of the plan. "I was just looking for a better WI-FI signal."

"How did you ever know this was down here?" He questioned. He stepped to the side to get a better look at the cyberdesk. "That's the superhero list. What are you up to?"

I sighed; well, there goes my cover. I turned and smirked at him, before shapeshifting into a ball of pure energy. I rushed at him, hitting him in the chest and knocking him backwards before turning back into myself. "What the…" Douglas stared at me in shocked amazement. I smirked.

"Just completing a mission my brothers couldn't." I told him, amused by the dumb expression on his face.

"You're Roman and Riker's sister." He realized.

"Their more powerful sister." I added with a smirk. I raised my hand, then blasted him with the same energy that I'd blasted the AI with. He screamed in pain when it hit him, right between the eyes, then dropped to the floor, motionless. "Did you feel the burn?" I teased, kneeling down to check his pulse. Hmm…weak, and getting weaker by the second. He couldn't have long left. "When that Elite Force comes home to find your body, they'll have a permanent reminder of what kind of power they're really dealing with."

** Skylar's POV **

"Douglas!" Chase shouted, spotting the man the moment we entered Mission Command. His father/uncle was lying prone on the ground, Perry standing above him. Bree and Chase ran to him first, the rest of us only a couple of feet behind. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Perry replied, shaking her head helplessly. "I was chasing him all over, and when I found him down here, he was gasping for air."

"Why were you chasing him?" Dani asked the obvious question, as Chase and Bree examined Douglas. Perry shrugged.

"It was pretty obvious he wasn't going to come willingly." She replied.

"Perry, call 911, alright?" Calla instructed. Perry nodded, then raced up to the main floor, where she'd get better reception.

"Where's Reese?" I asked. "MISS?"

To my surprise, the AI didn't respond. "MISS, where is Reese?" Kaz said loudly. Again, no response.

"Guys, she got Douglas good. His pulse is really weak." Bree told us.

"That's not the only thing she got." Oliver stepped away from the cyberdesk. "She was on the cyberdesk."

"What'd she get?" Calla demanded, standing up.

"I don't know. I can't even access it." Oliver muttered. Calla took his place, frowning when even her override code wouldn't work. "Maybe whatever she did to MISS is keeping us out?"

"No. She had to have done it manually." Calla muttered. She turned around to face us, thinking. "The superhero list. Riker tried to get it before; it must be what she came for."

"I shouldn't have suggested that her stay here alone with Douglas." Chase muttered.

"This isn't your fault. She fooled all of us." Bree told him quickly.

"They know where Liv and the rest of the superheroes are." Dani commented. "And we can't even access the cyberdesk to warn them. What are we going to do?"

Chase took a deep breath, then stood up. "Here's the plan." We all looked at him as he went into leader mode. "Calla and I will stay here with Douglas, and make sure he gets the medical attention he needs. The rest of you head out, try and find Reese. Maybe we can find her before she and her siblings go after the other superheroes." He nodded, pleased with his plan. "If it's a war they want, then we'll give them one."

** Reese's POV **

"Father! Father?" We'd planned to meet in the center of the city, near the old subway station that we'd been using as a lair. But when I reached the rendezvous location, I found him lying on the ground, seriously injured. "Father!"

I raced over to him, dropping to my knees at the last second, and pulling his head onto my lap. He didn't look very good; each breath was a ragged gasp, his skin pale and clammy. There was a bad cut on his forehead, blood trickling onto the dirty road beneath him. "Did you get…the list?" He gasped out. I nodded quickly.

"Yes. The superheroes are ours." I promised him. He nodded weakly, his eyelids fluttering. "Who did this to you?"

"The superhero girl. The electrokinetic." He ground out, coughing weakly. I bit my lip, watching his breathing get weaker. His eyes slid closed and I knew then he wasn't going to make it.

"Don't worry, Father. We'll see this through." I promised him, wanting the last thing he heard to be a guarantee that we would avenge him. "We'll destroy every last superhero, starting with the Elite Force."


	17. Against the Odds

** Oliver's POV **

"I can't believe Reese stole the list right out from under our noses." I muttered as Kaz and I made our way down the street. It was eerily quiet out here, the sound of sirens and other cars having disappeared hours ago. I didn't know whether it was because the police had just given up trying to stop the unbeatable force that was the shapeshifting siblings, or if the villains had taken them out while we were distracted. Neither was a good option, both of them leaving us with one simply, chilling fact: we were on our own.

Roddiseus and his children had the advantage right now. We had no idea where they'd all disappeared too, and for all we knew, they could be watching us right now. And thought we'd split up to cover more ground, we were still no closer to locating them.

And even if we did find them, what then? We were outnumbered 2 to 1, assuming that Calla and Chase would be back from taking care of Douglas in time to fight alongside us. That alone would have pushed us against a wall, as teaming up against a villain had always made up for our lack of experience or other weaknesses, but each of those shapeshifters was also immensely powerful. We'd spent the past year trying to defeat Roman and Riker, just the two of them against the seven of us, and most of the time, it was an even match. But without the advantage of power over them, or numbers, we were, for lack of better words, completely and utterly screwed.

"We should never have let her into the Penthouse. What were Chase and Calla thinking?" Kaz questioned rhetorically. I spared him a glance before resuming to scan the street.

"It wasn't their fault. They didn't know, and neither did we." Piling on the blame was a waste of time anyway. "But now that she's got the list, we have to stop them before they go after the other heroes."

"Who's to say that they haven't already?" Kaz suggested. I frowned. He was right, of course. It wasn't just possibly – it was probable – but I hated the idea of Alivia and her new team being attacked without so much of a warning. They used comms rather than cellphones, making it harder for them to be tracked, so they might be safe for a bit, but without our access to the superhero network, it also meant that it would be next to impossible to warn them of the impending danger.

"Aren't you supposed to be the optimistic one?" I mumbled. Kaz opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Skylar's voice coming over the comms.

" _Hey, have you guys seen anything yet?"_  She questioned, her voice echoing in our ears.

"Afraid not. You guys?" Kaz replied.

" _Nope."_  Bree sounded frustrated. She and Skylar had gone downtown to search, while Kaz and I looked through uptown. Along with Dani, who was patrolling the skies, we were all supposed to meet near where we'd met Roddiseus earlier.  _"It's a big city, though. They must be around here."_

" _The skies are clear."_  Dani reported.  _"Well, no. Actually, it's pretty dark and wet, but no sign of any black swarms."_

It was then that I noticed the light rain. Huh, guess I was too distracted to realize before. "Dee, come back down. If it rains any harder, the visibility is going to be crap, and then you'll crash into a building."

" _You know, I'd make a comment about how you have no faith in my flying abilities, but you're probably right. Meet you guys in the square."_  My sister promised.

" _Keep a lookout guys."_  Skylar warned.  _"They have to be around here somewhere."_

"Unless they're attacking Liv and her new friends as we speak." I added, worriedly.

" _I doubt they've left yet."_  She replied.  _"Dani kicked Roddiseus' ass pretty bad – they're gonna want a shot of revenge before they leave."_

" _So, I have a bullseye on my back? Awesome."_  Dani commented sarcastically.

" _It could be worse. You could be Douglas right now."_  Bree murmured, her voice soft and bitter. I wince sympathetically. Douglas had been in serious condition when we'd left him with Calla and Chase. We had no idea if he would even survive, let alone recover, from Reese's attack, and Bree must be freaking out, even if she didn't show it on the outside.

"Bree, he's going to be fine." Kaz assured her, though he didn't look nearly as confident as he sounded. "But right now, we need to focus, alright?"

We turned the corner and found ourselves in the square we'd agreed to meet in. Dani was already there, kneeling on the ground, her hair soaked from her flight through the rain clouds. She looked over at us, then raised her hand. The tips of her glove were stained red.

"Blood." She told us, standing with a frown on her face.

"Is it Roddiseus'?" Bree questioned as she and Skylar walked into the square.

"Maybe." Dani shrugged. "I didn't think I hit him that hard, but I could be wrong."

"It looked like you put a lot of power into your blast." Skylar commented. "There's no way he just walked away from that. He probably needed help to get out of here."

"I wasn't really focusing on the power of the blast – it was all instinct. I just wanted to stop him." Dani mentioned, still frowning.

"One of his little brats must have helped him get out of here." Bree decided, gritting her teeth together. But my attention was already focused elsewhere as a new sound hit the air.

"Shush." I told everyone quickly, listening hard. After a moment, they heard it too: the faint, all too familiar buzzing sound that we knew accompanied the shapeshifters' swarms. But no matter where we looked, our enemies were nowhere to be found.

"Well, that's not ominous at all." Kaz commented dryly.

"Stay alert." Skylar ordered. "We can hear them, but we can't see them, and that makes them dangerous."

"Well, you're certainly right about that." We spun around to see a young man, about our age, with dark hair and a complexion uncannily similar to Riker's. Behind him were another four shapeshifters, three boys and a girl, all looking about the same.

"What, you thought you could get away from us? After what you did to our father?" The girl sneered. As she spoke, another pair of shapeshifters, another boy and girl, stepped out from the shadows.

The rest of us exchanged looks. Well, at least we found them.

** Chase's POV **

"Thank you." I nodded gratefully at the Douglas' doctor. She gave me a comforting smile, then walked away to deal with another patient. I walked back to waiting room, where Calla was waiting with two steaming paper cups.

"What's his prognosis?" She asked softly, handing me a cup. I took a sip, then grimaced at the bitter taste. "Sorry, they were out of both cream and sugar."

"He's stable for now, but he's still in rough shape. There was damage to his eyes; they don't know how much yet, but it's extensive." I replied, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "Reese must have blasted him with all her energy; he went into cardiac arrest."

"But he's stable?" Calla confirmed, placing her hand on my arm. I nodded.

"Yeah, but things were close for a while. Dr. Porter says he should make a full recovery, but they won't know for sure until he wakes up. Whenever that will be." I sighed. God, this was all my fault. I'd been the one to go over her resume before moving her onto the interview stage. I should have triple checked it, should have made sure everything was legit. I was the one who sent her to the Penthouse, and I was the one who offered to let her stay there while we dealt with Roman and Riker. How could I have made such a stupid mistake? Now Reese had the list of remaining superheroes, she'd cut off all our communication with them so we couldn't warn them, and Douglas was in the hospital because of me. If I hadn't-

"It was my idea to do the interviews at the Penthouse." Calla murmured. I looked at her sharply.

"This isn't your fault." I said quickly.

"It's as much mine as it is yours." She told me sternly. "You don't get to drown yourself in your guilt and not let me take a little of it on. That's not fair. We're in this together. Okay?"

I sighed. "Okay." I agreed, knowing better than to argue with her. "Now what?"

"We…we fight." She shrugged. "What else can we do?"

"I don't know, but there's got to be something." I sighed irritably. "They're more powerful, they outnumber us, and they can disappear into the sky anytime they want."

"We've had worse odds. Krane was more powerful than us, the students outnumbered us, and we still won." She reminded me.

"We all nearly died." I pointed out.

"But we didn't." Calla reminded me. "So, we just have to figure out another way to beat them. They're strong, yeah, but clever beats strong any day, remember?"

I gave her a small smile, appreciating her determination. "Still, this isn't a great situation, Calla. We've spent months just trying to stop two shapeshifters. Now we're facing six times that."

"All we need is a good strategy." Calla insisted. I scoffed.

"If you've got one, I'd love to hear it." I replied.

"Um…we could…maybe we…uh…" She blanked. "Okay, I got nothing."

I sighed and sat down in one of the seats. "We have to find a way to beat them. They're power hungry and crazy. If they beat us, they'll destroy the other superheroes, and then…and then move onto world domination."

"That's how it is in the comic books." Calla agreed. "Damn, I miss the old days, when the scariest thing we had to deal with was Marcus."

"You thought he was scarier than Krane?" I questioned, surprised.

"You didn't?" She replied. I chuckled, then got serious.

"Alright, so they have the list. No doubt they're going to use it to go after the other superheroes." I thought aloud, lying the entire situation out before us. "Now, since we know they're still in town, it's possible that they want to take us out first, but they're not going to be stupid about it. They're going to have some sort of contingency plan."

"They'll have hidden the list. Probably gave it to Roddiseus." Calla added. "So, all we need to do is beat them before they use the list."

"Is that all?" I questioned. She gave me a look. "Look, even if they weren't seriously powerful, we'd still have a problem with the fact that they outnumber us."

"Yeah…" Calla frowned, leaning against the wall. She had a deep, thoughtful look on her face, and didn't say anything else, so I continued.

"Maybe if we could solve one of those problems, we'd have a chance, but I don't have any ideas."

"I might." Calla spoke up. I looked at her, then smiled when I saw that I-have-an-awesome-but-crazy-idea light in her eyes. "I need you to buy me some time though."

"What idea? How much time?" I demanded, getting to my feet.

"Don't have time to explain, and as much as you can." She replied. "Like, I'm going to need an hour or two."

"Two hours. Calla, our team is out there fighting right now." I told her. "We can't wait two hours."

"Look, if you've got something better, go for it. I can work my idea, and either you guys beat them before I get back, or we go with my idea." She assured me.

"Or, they defeat us before you get back." I added. She nodded solemnly.

"Chase, this  _will_  work." She insisted. "Or, at least give us a much better chance at winning." She looked at me. "I need you to trust me."

I looked at her, then sighed. I didn't like splitting up like this, but if the worst case scenario did happen, then Calla would at least be spared. At least there was that silver-lining. "Like you said, we're a team. I trust you."

"Good. I'll see you soon." She kissed me quickly, then headed for the door. She stopped in front of the sliding doors. "Wait." She turned to look at me. "Look, I'll be back as soon as I can, but…if it looks like you can't win, no matter how hard you fight, run."

"I can't do that." I shook my head.

"Yes, you can." She argued. "I don't mean abandon the others. I mean, if you and our friends surviving means letting those shapeshifters take the city, then let them. Live to fight another day."

"Go." I told her in way of response. "I'll see you soon."

** Oliver's POV **

"Move!" Kaz hissed as he limped past me, going as fast as he could as we turned down the street. The shapeshifting siblings had been quickly joined by two more of their brethren and after trying, and failing, to subdue them, we were forced to retreat. There'd simply been too many of them to fight at once, and they had used that to their advantage. Four of them had morphed into their black swarm to attack us from above, while the other five had used their other powers on us, their abilities ranging from energy blasts to bolts of lightning that even Dee had trouble matching. We'd managed to stand our ground for twenty long, painful minutes, but they'd eventually overwhelmed us.

"Hey!" Suddenly, Dani grabbed my arm, pulling both of us into a small alley. Skylar and Bree followed suit, the five of us pressing against the stone walls as the swarm flew past us. We stood there, as quietly and still as we could. After a moment, Bree glanced at us, then turned invisible. She disappeared for a tense couple of moments, then reappeared, suddenly standing next to Skylar. She jumped a little at our friend's sudden appearance, but didn't say anything.

"We're good; they're gone." Bree whispered. I sighed in relief, tipping my head back against the wall, even as Kaz slid down the wall to the dirty ground below.

"You okay, buddy?" I asked, slightly concerned. He nodded, rubbing his ankle with a pained grimace on his face.

"Peachy." He grunted roughly. Bree sat down next to him.

"That's going to be sore in the morning." She commented, wincing as she sat.

"It's sore now." He retorted. He looked over at us, then frowned. "Dee, you have a little…"

He gestured vaguely at her face. She sighed and wiped the edge of her mouth, wrinkling her nose in disgust when she accidently tasted the blood from her split lip. "Jerks." She muttered. "It's fine. Just a scratch."

None of us were in particularly good shape, I noted, looking over all of them. My sister had taken a hard blow to the head before being knocked clean off her feet by one of the shapeshifters, another having come in immediately after to keep her down. I was fairly sure Kaz had at least sprained his ankle, but since considering the amount of pain he was in just trying to put weight on it, it was possible that the damage was far more extensive than I could tell from here. Skylar didn't look too bad, only appearing a little less beautiful than usual. That being said, she was holding her shoulder pretty tightly, and I was far from happy at the sight of the necklace of bruises around her neck. She'd just managed to defeat one of the shapeshifters (although it was obviously temporary, it was still a win for us) when another had charged her and threw her against the wall and tried to choke her out. She managed to get away on her own, but when I saw that shapeshifter again, he was going to pay for going after her. Out of all of us, I thought Bree had gotten the worst of it: one of the swarms had circled her, preventing her from using her super speed to her full potential and forcing her to fight one of the biggest, most powerful villains one of one. If she hadn't used her invisibility ability to fool the shapeshifter into thinking she'd managed to speed away, I doubted that she would have gotten away with just the various bruises and cuts she was sporting now. I, myself, was having a little trouble breathing, and I was all but certain that the cause was at least two broken ribs. Possibly, a third, though I wasn't quite sure of that one. Things had definitely not gone well, but considering how badly that fight had been stacked against us, I figured we got off easy.

"Is anyone dying?" I muttered, wanting to make sure I wasn't too far off with any of my guesses. Their responses came in the form of three no's and one very dramatic yes, assuring me that they were probably okay for now.

"We can't win." Bree murmured, sounding defeated. Skylar shook her head, a tired but determined look on her face.

"We can't give up." She insisted, despite the wince on her face. I looked at her sharply.

"Is it broken?" I questioned, moving forward to examine it.

"I think so." She replied, dropping her uninjured hand to let me take a look.

"Look, Skylar, we all appreciate your faith in us, but face it. We're screwed." Kaz told her as I gently examined her arm and shoulder.

"Dislocated, not broken." I assured Skylar. I gave her a cautious look. "I can set it, but it's going to hurt. A lot."

"Just do it." She grunted. I grabbed her wrist, gave her an apologetic glance, then reset it. To her credit, she hardly flinched, though she was biting down on her lip pretty hard to keep from crying out. "T-Thanks." She let out a shaky breath after a moment, clutching her arm tightly.

"We'll get that sorted out for real later, alright?" I promised, though I wasn't sure if we'd even get the chance. The shapeshifters were relentless, and I had noticed one, ominious thing during their attack: there was no sign of Roman, Riker, or Reese. Which meant that they had either gone after the other superheroes, or they were planning something a lot more sinister, neither of which was reassuring.

"Anyone got a plan, then?" Bree questioned, looking around. She glanced at my sister. "Dani? You're quiet."

Dani shook her head. "Sorry. I thought I had something, but I don't." She replied. "Anyone else?"

"We might have something."

We all jumped when Chase suddenly appeared beside us, seeming to have come out of nowhere. "Holy…Chase!" Bree snapped, startled. He gave her a smirk.

"Sorry. I reconfigured one of the cyber masks to turn me invisible so I could come find you guys. Didn't mean to scare you." He apologized.

"How's Douglas?" Bree asked quickly. He gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"Stable." He promised her. We all let out a sigh of relief at the good news. Just when we needed a little glimmer of goodness too.

"Where's Calla? She stay at the hospital with him?" Dani questioned.

"No, she had an idea for how we might beat Roddiseus and his kids. Here's the catch: we have to buy her time to let her do her thing." He explained.

"What idea?" I asked the obvious questioned. He shook his head.

"I don't know exactly. But she believes it will work, and I believe in her. Besides, no one else has anything we can use." He reasoned. We all exchanged looks, then nodded.

"How much time?" Bree questioned, getting to her feet. Chase sighed deeply.

"As much as we can." He replied.

So, essentially, Calla had run off with what was probably a crazy idea, without telling us what that idea was, and we had to try and survive long enough for her to put it into action. Well, say what you will about the girl, but she knew how to turn up the suspense.

"Alright." Kaz climbed to his feet. His face was serious, but determined, and a mirror of all of ours. "Let's kick some ass."

** Xxx **

"Where'd they go?" Dani questioned when we stepped into the square. Oddly enough, the city was silent once again. "Seriously, where are they?"

"Right here." We turned to see Reese standing by the entrance to the subway, her fists balled as she glared at us. Behind her stood five of her brothers, all ready for a fight.

"Well, we were wondering where you'd run off." Skylar commented.

"Don't worry; we're not running now." On the opposite side of the square stood Roman, flanked by three girls and a guy.

"That's eleven." I realized, double-counting to make sure I hadn't missed anyone. That meant that Riker, and another of their siblings, were elsewhere, along with their father.

"Where are Riker and your other brother?" Chase questioned, even as we all fell back into a protective circle, making sure no one's back was exposed to one of the villains.

"Don't worry about our brothers. They're got their own mission." Roman told us, smirking sneakily.

"And Roddiseus? I'm sure he wants to brag about how he's beaten us, right?" Skylar questioned, obviously trying to keep them talking. The longer we could keep them busy by chatting rather than fighting, the better it would be for us. All the shapeshifters tensed at the sound of their father's name. "What's wrong? Is he still pissed that Dani kicked his butt?"

"Kicked his butt? Is that your nice way of saying murder?" Reese demanded, furious. We all stopped, confused.

"Wait, Roddiseus is dead?" Dani looked more confused than any of us, a shocked expression on her face. She glanced at me, her eyes wide and startled.

"It wasn't enough for you to take his powers away, but you had to kill him too?" Reese snapped at us.

"I-I wasn't trying to kill him." Dani looked beyond freaked right now. Kaz quickly took a step in front of her.

"You and your father murdered dozens of superheroes. He deserved what he got." He told Reese, coming to Dani's rescue.

"You will pay for what you've done." Roman declared.

"Oh yeah?" Skylar challenged. "Bring it."

** Chase's POV **

The shapeshifters attacked immediately, desperate for their revenge. Five of the shifted into their swarm form and charged us, while the others hung back for a moment. I raised my hands, forming a force field around us. Luckily, since only half of them were attacking this time, I managed to keep them from overwhelming us. The force field did crack, as I expected, but not until most of the swarm had already hit us. The other six shapeshifters charged at us the moment my force field was down, and we were forced to break apart.

I leapt back as one of shapeshifters, a tall girl with her hair in a braid, raised her hands and blasted a ball of orange energy at me. I narrowly avoided it, but was unable to avoid the blast that came from Roman himself, the dark energy hitting me in the leg and bringing me down to the ground. I reacted instantly, whipping out my bo staff and swinging at them. I managed to knock the girl over, but Roman anticipated my movement and leapt over it. Nevertheless, it did give me the chance to get back to my feet, where I stood a better chance of winning. I spun my bo staff in one hand as they began to pelt me with energy blasts. I spun around, keeping the bo staff moving so that I could use it to deflect the blows.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others swept up in their own fights.

Kaz and Oliver were fighting back to back, surrounded by three shapeshifters, Roman, one of his brothers, and one of his sisters. Kaz had his hands raised, aiming a continuous stream of fire at the shapeshifter that faced him, while Oliver shot ice ball after ice ball at their enemies. But that didn't deter the shapeshifters. Like Dani, the girl had electricity-like powers, and consequently, she used her powers to surround them all in a ring of electrical energy, shooting out sparks to throw Kaz and Oliver off their guard every so often. Meanwhile, her two brothers faced off against the boys, the first using fire-like blasts against Oliver's ice balls, while Roman fluctuated between dodging Kaz's fire stream and shooting ball of energy at said superhero.

Dani was near the center of the square, taking on two swarms at once. They circled her at speeds that could rival my sister, one diving in every few seconds to take her out. Dani was struggling to keep up, barely managing to duck in time then shoot a bolt of lightning at the other swarm to keep it from shooting out at her.

Bree's fight, on the other hand, was almost impossible to see. The two swarms she was struggling with had surrounded her completely, threatening to swallow her up as they prevented her from using her super speed properly. I could barely see her, fighting in the center. She was moving as fast as she possibly could, her entire body a blur as she spun, kicked, and swung her fists, desperately trying to keep the swarm off of her.

Skylar's opponents seemed to be the only ones having a bit of a hard time keeping up with her. While they were more powerful, Skylar was using her gymnastic skills and her ridiculous flexibility to avoid their attacks, while simultaneously preparing one of her own. None of her blows were landing – they were using their powers to deflect her blasts – but neither were any of theirs. But even from here, I could see that she was tiring out, and fast.

I spun around, twirling my bo staff to deflect another blast from one of the shapeshifters, only for the other shapeshifter to shoot a ball of energy at me. This time, it managed to hit its mark, the blow to my shoulder enough to knock me to the ground, causing me to lose my grip on the bo staff. I jumped to my feet, but the siblings were expecting it. The girl with the braids turned into a swarm and blew through me, throwing me back to the dirty ground.

I pushed myself back to my feet, just in time to watch as a swarm, too big to just be one shapeshifter, fly into Dani and then at a nearby wall. I didn't see her hit the wall – the swarm had pretty much swallowed her up by that point – but I did see her fall to the ground once they'd finished. She did not get up.

"Dee!" Oliver shouted. The momentary distraction was enough for the shapeshifter he was fighting to blast him in the chest with a ball of fiery energy, knocking him to the ground. Kaz was next, Roman and his sister combining their energy and electricity blasts to throw him into the wall near Dani.

"Guys!" Luckily for Bree, it seemed that the distraction of taking out three of our team was enough for her to escape the swarms she was fighting. She sped away from them, past me, to their sides. Skylar and I fell back, even as the three slowly climbed to their feet.

"Are you alright?" I demanded. They all gave me breathless nods, ready to continue fighting, despite the fact that they were obviously running on fumes. We turned to face the shapeshifters, all of whom had shifted back into their human bodies. The eleven villains looked at us, cocky and triumphant.

I glanced at the others, and made a decision. Despite everything, despite the fact that this was very likely our last stand, they wouldn't run, and even though Calla had begged me to, I couldn't either, even if it meant dying here and now. As Dani had said, if we're going to go down, we might as well go down together.

"Give up!" Reese laughed, reminding me too much of her father. "You've lost."

"Never." Skylar growled, standing shoulder to shoulder with me.

"My sister is right." Roman declared. He raised a hand, a purple ball of energy, about the size of a basketball, appearing in his hand. "My family has beaten you."

He raised his hand, ready to throw the energy ball at us, ready to resume the fight, but before he could, something completely random happen: a pair of red lasers shot past his face, missing his nose by barely a centimeter. The shapeshifters all started, confused, but we were just as baffled as they were.

Until one voice called out from behind them. "You're not the only one with a family, Roman!"

We all turned to look past them, and saw what had to be the most amazing thing in the world at that moment. Calla walked forward, wielding her proton disks, and flanked closely by Adam and Leo, my brother and step brother glaring at the shapeshifters. To Leo's immediate left were Katherine, Jaden, Spin, and Bob, all prepared to fight. On Adam's side stood Kieran, holding his own bo staff furiously, Rio and Taylor, both girls looking particularly deadly, and Logan and Kate, the pair keeping their eyes on the shapeshifters as they approached them. Just behind them came Alivia McLean, along with what could only be her team. A tall girl with brown hair stood at her right, obviously her number two, while a tall, blonde haired guy in red and a short, dark haired girl in all-black clothing stood side by side. A curly haired boy in a sweater vest (okay, some of these superhero costumes were just weird) and a pale girl with white hair followed behind, trailed by Crossbow and another archer.

"So," Calla mused, ignoring everyone's amazement. "What were you saying about having us beat?"

** Oliver's POV **

Earlier today, I had thought that we had no chance of winning this fight. And now, I didn't see how we could lose. Between our efforts and those of Liv's new team and the bionic heroes from California, the shapeshifters were almost easy to fight. They'd always relied on their numbers – it was their biggest advantage – but now that the tables had turned, you could practically see them sweating as they tried to figure a way out of this.

"Give it up, Roman!" I called, cornering him near the subway. It was obvious that he was trying to escape through the tunnels – I was willing to bet that they'd been using them as some sort of a base – but Alan stopped the villain, having shapeshifted himself (and by the way, how the hell did  _he_  survive the attack on Mighty Med?). Now in the form of a lion, he stood in front of the entrance to the subway, pawing at the ground impatiently. "Look, it's over."

"Come quietly and no one has to get hurt." Calla's friend, Kieran, added. Roman looked between us, a hateful glare on his face.

"Never." He refused. He spun around shot a blast of energy at me. I avoided it just as Alan leapt on top of her, using his weight to pin him to the ground. Roman struggled beneath him for a moment, then suddenly, Alan was thrown into the air by the force of one of his energy blasts. He landed on top of Kieran, knocking the bionic boy to the ground. I leapt into action, shooting at Roman with my cryoblast. At first, it seemed to work, but then he lunged forward, spinning on his heel at the last minute to aim a spinning kick at my face. The blow never connected, however, as he suddenly lost his balance and then floated into the air. Kieran stood up, his hand raised and a look of concentration on his face.

"You ready to behave now?" He questioned, using his gravity manipulation powers to hover the evil shapeshifter even farther from the ground. Roman threw his hands out, to throw another energy ball our way, but at the last second Kieran released him, and he fell six feet to the ground with a loud, painful thud. Before he could even think of getting up again, though after that fall I would have stayed down for a bit, I placed my foot on his back, preventing any attempts to escape. "We did warn you." I told him, waving my hand at Alan, who'd shifted back into his human form, to hand me the power-blocking cuffs that we'd taken from mission command. Alan shook his head, then looked pointedly down at Roman.

"I'm a superhero too, you know." He pointed out. I raised my hands and let Alan put the criminal in handcuffs. Once he stepped away, I hoisted Roman to his feet and forced him back into the square, where the others were rounding up the other shapeshifters. Some of the fights had been easier than others, I suspected, judging by the way Spin, the youngest of the bionic heroes, was talking excitedly with Spotlight and Barry, while Alivia, Scarlet Ace, and Bob looked a little worse for wear.

"We will get our revenge." Roman growled as I pushed him down to sit between two of his sisters.

"Like I haven't heard that before." Alivia commented, rolling her eyes. She walked over to me. "Alright, that's ten."

"Make that eleven!" Leo shouted, parading into the square with Crossbow and Adam right behind, the latter carrying a furiously struggling Reese over his shoulder, fireman style. He dropped her unceremoniously to the ground next to Roman, the girl shooting daggers at us with her eyes.

"Go to hell!" She spat angrily.

"But then we'd be hot all the time and it's impossible to sleep when you're too hot." Adam replied with a shrug. Kieran sister, Rio, gave him a look.

"I love how that's your problem with hell." She laughed lightly.

"Alright, so that's eleven." Logan counted. "I thought that Rod dude had thirteen kids."

"See? Rod is just easier!" I insisted, earning a half grin from my sister.

"That's what Calla told us." Taylor added, frowning. "Do you think a couple of them escaped?"

"If they did, I am thinkin' it's gonna be hard to grab 'em again. Where could 'ey have gone?" Katherine questioned.

"I have an idea about that." Scarlet Ace spoke up. She glanced at Alivia. "Chances are, Riker and his other sibling ran back to Dr. Wrath once they realized that they were going to lose."

"Dr. Wrath?" Kaz questioned, confused. "We beat him already."

"It's a long story." Barry explained.

"Oh, by the way, I've got a question." Dani interrupted. She pointed over to the other end of the group of villains, where Spotlight and Rani Shore were talking. Well, actually it looked more like bickering from here. "Why is evil-me here?"

"We're trying something out." Alivia explained vaguely, shrugging. "So far, she hasn't killed anyone yet, so I think it's going well."

"Liam would disagree." Scarlet Ace chuckled lightly, watching the two. Alivia scoffed.

"Oh, please. Ten buck says that, after he's gotten over his whole mistrust thing, they end up making out on Melody's couch." She waved her hand. "Trust me, the whole polar opposite thing? Totally his type."

"You're on, Red." Scarlet Ace replied in a sing song voice before walking off to go talk to Crossbow and the white haired girl I could only assume was Melody 'Frostbite' Robins, the newest member of Alivia's team.

"Well, for the record, I don't like her." Calla offered as she and Skylar came over. Dani chuckled and fist bumped the genius

"And that is why you and I are such good friends." My sister told her. I looked at Skylar and noticed that she was back to holding her shoulder.

"Hey," I drew her aside, putting my hand on her good arm, "how are you holding up? The pain bad?"

"I wouldn't mind getting it sorted out." She admitted. I nodded.

"Alright, sure. We can go back to the penthouse, and I'll grab our medical supplies…crap." I stopped. "The medical supplies which is inside the storage tunnel in Mission Command. We need MISS to open it." I looked over at Calla. "Hey, how long do you think it'll take for you to get MISS up and running?"

To my dismay, she shook her head. "It's not that simple… I took a look at her hard drive while Chase and I were waiting for Douglas' ambulance. Reese completely fried her systems. For all intensive purposes, MISS is dead. It'll take me at least a month or two to rebuild her system. But I can probably get the main computer system back up in a few hours if I have to. Why?"

"I need my med kit from the storage tunnel." I explained. I looked around, noting how worn out the others were. Many of them looked to have at least minor injuries, with people like Kaz and Skylar having some more pressing ones. "A lot of us have injuries that need to be dealt with, and it'll be hard enough explaining how we got them to a nurse or doctor without putting an alien in the mix."

Surprisingly, Calla smiled. "Then I guess it's a good thing that your med kit isn't in Mission Command." She commented. I looked at her, confused. "C'mon, I've got something to show you guys."

** Xxx **

As soon as a few of Alivia's friends from UPSEI showed up to take Roman, Reese, and their siblings away, Calla dragged all twenty-five of us into an old Davenport Industries warehouse, refusing to explain along the way what she wanted to show us. We came with her cautiously, with no idea what to expect, and when she had to scan her handprint just to enter the building, it confused us even more. But when we saw what awaited us inside…well, nothing could have prepared us for that.

The floors were white, pristine and obviously new, while the walls were tall and painted a pleasant shade of light blue. There were two floors to the building, balconies surrounded three of the four walls to this room, with doorways leading down long, light blue hallways. At the center of the room was a large, rectangular reception area, with a pair of computers sitting on the counter. The east wall had four capsules against it, a control panel in front of them, while the west wall was lined with half a dozen hospital beds, with a variety of medical equipment. But the most incredible part of it was the large, lit up, red and white M on the wall opposite of us.

Calla watched all of us anxiously as we examined the room. After a long, stunned into silence moment, Kaz finally spoke up. "Calla…what is this?"

"Well, I was thinking we could call it Mighty Med 2.0." She replied before quickly going into a ramble. "So, remember when I got all that money from my government contract? Well, I was thinking, Mighty Med was the only place for superheroes to get medical attention, and for bionic heroes, the only places with the proper equipment is Davenport's house and the Academy, which, if we're on a mission or here in Centium City, could be really out of the way, so I thought, why not rebuild the place? Now, I know I can't replace all the equipment you had before, but I think this is a pretty good start, and-"

"You rebuilt Mighty Med." Dani said slowly, cutting her off. Calla went quiet and nodded.

"I like it." Alan commented. I glanced at him in surprise, having never heard him say that sentence without the word "don't" in the middle of it.

"This is amazing, Calla." I commented, absolutely floored. It was so much like the original. I mean, sure, there were the obvious differences – the shape of the ER, the bionic equipment, and the shade of blue on the walls – but it felt just like Mighty Med had: like home. I could almost hear the buzz of heroes like Tecton or Blue Tornado in the halls, and I could practically see Horace turn the corner.

"So, you like it?" Calla questioned.

"Duh." Alivia retorted for us. She, along with Skylar, Spotlight, Scarlet Ace, and Crossbow were staring at the room before us with longing expressions on their faces, while Barry, Melody, and Rani, the newer heroes (though it was debatable whether that last name belonged on that list) and all of the bionic heroes looked around curiously. "This is incredibly done."

"Well, I'm glad you like it. Because it's yours." Calla declared. We looked at her. "Don't give me that look; you guys are the doctors, not me. And while Davenport Industries will be funding it, it should be run by someone who really cares about it. You guys were doctors at the original, Dani, Kaz, Oliver. This place belongs to you, not me."

"Are you serious?" I looked at her. She nodded.

"Mighty Med is your thing. Do what you want with it, hire who you want, hell, re-paint if you'd like. It's all yours." She assured us. "But if you do repaint…I'm not helping."

I chuckled in amusement as she walked over to the bionic capsules to show the other bionic heroes what she'd done with them. Dani hopped up on the counter between us, looking around in amazement.

"Mighty Med is back." She said with a smile, swinging her legs excitedly.

"This is going to be weird without Horace here." Kaz commented. I nodded.

"Yeah. This is going to be different, that's for sure." I agreed. Everything was going to be different now, what with the shapeshifters in prison, and Calla and Chase getting married next week, and now Mighty Med 2.0. This was going to change a lot of things, but though I was usually opposed to big changes – they were rarely good – I was actually pretty excited to see where these changes took us.


	18. I Do

**Calla's POV**

"You look absolutely beautiful, honey." My mother gushed as she put away the hair spray bottle. We were in the mentor's room of the Bionic Academy, preparing for the wedding ceremony. Mom turned me towards the mirror, smiling proudly. "What do you think?"

"…I…wow." I'd never been that girl who dreamt about her perfect wedding, but if I had, I felt like this moment, me in my dress, about to walk down the aisle, this would be how it started.

"You look great." Bree offered, walking into the room, carrying four bouquets of calla lilies, three completely white while the last one, the biggest one, had deep blue flowers mixed in between the white ones.

"Great doesn't even cover it." Skylar added. I sent them a grateful smile, as well as at Dani. All three of them were already in their dresses, ready for the event, and looking at them, I was once again glad that I let them choose their own dresses. All three of them were deep blue, a shade similar to our mission suit colors, but each dress reflected their style, I thought. Bree's dress was long and flowing and strapless, giving her the appearance of a princess. Skylar's was a little more reserved, strapless on one side and ending just below her knees, and Dani's was sleeveless and cutting off a few inches higher.

"Alright, so Ollie says that they're all ready to go, and most of the guests have arrived." Dani announced, frowning as she communicated telepathically with her twin. She frowned. "The hell?"

"What's wrong?" I demanded, staring at her. She looked at Skylar.

"Who invited Gus?" She questioned, bewildered. Skylar looked equally confused, but unconcerned as she checked the guest list.

"Uh…a Rebeccka Fairweather." She commented. I sighed in relief, glad that nothing had gone wrong.

"Becky said she was starting a talk show with some guy she met while on vacation." I shrugged a little. "I think they're dating, but I honestly have no idea."

"Alright, so that's taken care of. The catering guys are all set." Bree listed carefully. "So, I guess we should go tell Tasha we're all ready."

"I'll do that." Mom told us. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Chase is a very lucky man."

"I keep telling him that." I replied as she left. I took a breath, then looked at myself in the mirror, subconsciously patting down my dress. I grimaced as my stomach turned.

"Breathe, Calla." Bree chuckled, bemused as she noticed my nervousness. "You look like you did right before you did your first Call."

"God, I nearly puked." I muttered, before smirking when I saw Skylar and Dani trying to figure out what we were referring to. "Why am I nervous? It's weird; I shouldn't be nervous."

"Hey, chill." Bree looked at me sternly. I nodded and took a deep breath.

"You're probably just nervous because your last few anniversaries went tragically bad. I mean, didn't Chase end up in the hospital last time?" Dani questioned. I turned to stare at her, incredulous.

"You are not helping." I insisted.

"Sorry." She apologized sheepishly, sitting on the couch and looking at her phone.

"Ignore her, and just relax. It's going to be perfect." Skylar promised. I nodded and let out a breath.

"Right. Perfect." I agreed, as if saying it would make the butterflies in my stomach disappear.

"Right." Bree agreed. Her phone vibrated and she looked at me. "Everyone else is ready to go. Your dad's waiting outside. Game time?"

I took another deep breath, the nodded. "Game time."

**Chase's POV**

"Quit fidgeting." Leo scolded gently, amused to see that I was constantly readjusting my tie. I glanced at him, then back down the aisle. Most of our guests had sat down in their seats, an interesting mixture of heroes and 'Normo' (as Kaz and Oliver put it) friends and family. Daniel was already flirting with Jessica Henderson and Kaitlin Mulligan, while Kaz and Oliver had already found themselves in a deep conversation with Rebeccka's date. "Chase, stop."

"Sorry." I muttered. Leo chuckled lightly.

"You're nervous?" He guessed. I nodded in confirmation, and he chuckled some more. "Bree just texted me; Calla's as bad as you are."

I sighed. This was the perfect day for this; we'd chosen to have the wedding out on the artificial beach of the Academy, with the reception in the cafeteria, and the weather couldn't be more perfect. Sunny, but just the right temperature so that people were comfortably warm but not sweaty from the sun. Almost everyone we'd invited had arrived, and according to Bree, everything was going according to plan on her end.

"It's stupid. What do I have to be nervous of?" I questioned rhetorically. Adam answered anyway.

"Well, the last wedding Oliver and Kaz went to, a bunch of supervillains showed up and tried to kill everyone before the bride became the queen of all evil." He offered unhelpfully. Mr. Davenport, Leo, Jaden, and I all stared at him. "Sorry."

"No, you're not." Jaden accused, rolling his eyes. He looked at me. "But hey, it's CeeCee. What are the odds of her turning into a supervillain?"

"Have you met the girl? She could and would take over the world if she had the resources." Leo retorted.

"But she doesn't, so she won't." Jaden insisted. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the crowd. The bionic students clearly outnumbered the rest of our guests, but it looked like everyone was getting along. Faith, Calla's cousin, was already chatting it up with Taylor and Logan, something about one of Calla's new weapon designs. Douglas, having been out of the hospital for a few days now, was in the front row with his date, Dana. I had to give it to him – he was temporarily blind and only out of the hospital for three days, and yet he was still able to convince the pretty hospital receptionist to go out with him. There was an entire row empty near the back, though that wasn't much of a surprise. We'd invited Alivia and her new team, but we all knew that saving the world came before anything else, so it had always been fifty-fifty odds whether or not they showed.

Suddenly, the music began to play, signaling that the girls were on the way.

"Take a deep breath – if you pass out, it's really going to put a damper on things.." Jaden advised gently as Tasha walked down the aisle, Naomi in her hands. My younger sister giggled pleasantly, using her tiny fists to grab flower petals from Tasha's free hand and throw them gleefully to the floor. Next, after Tasha took her seat next to Calla's mother, came Bree, Dani, and Skylar, all three dressed in pretty blue dresses and carrying small bouquets. They moved to stand opposite of us. Then came Calla.

I knew every word in every language on Earth, and yet I could not find any that could even come close to describing how beautiful she was. She floated down the aisle, her long, angelic white dress sliding across the floor as if I were in a dream. A faint, simple, but elegant, floral design covered the bottom of the strapless dress, one of her bare arms looped with her father's. Her face was covered by a thin, silky veil, but even I could see the smile on her face.

"Oh God." I murmured, absolutely floored. Calla's father led her up to the stage, where my bride handed her bouquet to Bree.

"Don't screw this up." Calla's father advised me, not unkindly. I chuckled lightly; he'd never liked me very much, but I felt that his opinion of me had improved since I went to ask him about marrying Calla.

"Dad!" Calla scolded as she stepped back over to me. Her father chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her on the top of her head, carefully avoiding the veil.

"You look beautiful, angel." He told her before moving to sit down besides her mother. I gently raised Calla's veil, revealing her bright, beautiful blue eyes.

"He can say that again." I murmured. She blushed deeply, a nervous smile on her face.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Adam clapped his hands together and looked out at the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Adam Davenport and I'll be leading this ceremony today."

"They know who you are." Bree hissed. Calla gave me a look.

"Remind me again why we let your brother marry us." She hissed.

"Because the real minister backed out at the last minute." I replied.

"Friends and family, we gather here today to witness and celebrate the union of Calla Alexandria Parker and Chase Donald Davenport in marriage." He announced, reading off the cue cards Bree had made him read half a dozen times before the ceremony. "They've been through a lot together over the past few years, but today, they solidify that partnership and vow to continue along their lifelong adventure as husband and wife."

"Wow, Bree, you really did a good job of writing that for him." Skylar murmured to my sister.

"So, this is the part where my sister wanted me to say some really sappy stuff, but that's boring, so I'm just going to wing it." To prove his point, Adam tossed the cue cards over his shoulder. I groaned; I should have known this was going to happen. "Alright, so about six years ago, Mr. Davenport decided that we needed a friend, and so he paid Calla to be that friend. Actually, he paid her to babysit us, even though Bree and I were both older than her. And then there we were, standing alone in the lab, no idea what to do next because the only board game we had was Yahtzee, and Calla outright refused to play that game for reasons I still don't understand."

Calla covered her mouth to one hand, trying to suppress her laughter. Many of the guests were openly chuckling at Adam's improvised introduction. "And that's when Chase met Calla. As most of you know, they're pretty much inseparable now, and for good reason. I may have questioned Calla's taste in guys since the moment Leo told us they were making out in the lab, but anyone with eyes can see how perfect they are for each other. And after all the craziness they've had to put up with, and all the psychopaths who have tried to kill them, they're still together. The odds have been against them for years – I mean, just take a look at their anniversary record – but they've beat them all." He continued, more serious but still smiling. "And that's what we're here to celebrate today. Because if there are any two people in the world who deserve to be together, it's Calla and Chase. And God help anyone who tries to tear them apart."

I smiled, flattered. Okay, so maybe Adam put a little more thought into this than I thought. Adam turned to me, smiling.

"Do you, Chase Davenport, accept Calla Parker as your partner in life and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to support her in her successes and her failures, in sickness and in health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" He asked me. I took a deep breath, blinking at the suspicious prickling in my eyes.

"I do." I had to force my voice not to shake. Adam nodded and turned to Calla, my bride's hands shaking with anticipation.

"And do you, Calla Parker, accept Chase Davenport as your partner in life and one true love, promising to share in all that life offers and suffers, to support him in his successes and his failures, in sickness and in health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" He asked. She nodded shakily.

"I Do." She told him, her voice full of emotion. Adam nodded and stepped back, allowing AJ to come forward and present us with the ring box. I took Calla's ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger.

"I love you, Calla Parker." I told her softly. She took my ring and followed suit, gently moving it onto my correct finger.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." She told me. Adam chuckled.

"And now, by the power invested in me by a random site on the internet, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Adam declared loudly. "You may now kiss your bride."

"Gladly." I muttered, pushing my lips against hers. Her lips moved against mine, soft and gentle, before pulling away at the sound of everyone breaking into applause.

"I now present Mr. and Mrs. Chase Davenport!" Adam declared as I pulled Calla to my side.

**Dani's POV**

"Well, that certainly was an interesting ceremony." I laughed, following the others into the cafeteria that had been designated as the reception area. "I mean, Adam beats Gus as an officiant any day."

"Definitely." Ollie agreed, looping his arm through Skylar's, just as Chase helped Calla stand up on one of the tables.

"Alright ladies! It's the moment you've all been waiting for!" She announced, waving her bouquet in the air for all to see. Bree beamed and dragged me and Skylar into the center of the room, where most of the girls were beginning to gather. We ended up stuck in the middle, right next to Kate and Rio, the latter dressed in a pretty pink dress while the former wore a yellow floral patterned skirt and blouse. "One, two, three!"

Calla threw the bouquet over her head and into the crowd. We all reached to catch it, but it was Skylar who managed to grab a hold of it.

"Congrats." I laughed, noticing the dirty looks she was getting from the other girls. Skylar turned the bouquet around in her hands, confused.

"What for? All I did was catch the flowers." She commented, frowning deeply. "And a better question: why would she throw them in the first place?"

"Oh my God, I forgot you don't always know about these customs." Bree laughed, shaking her head.

"Someone might wanna tell my brother about that." I suggested, nodding at Ollie. He was staring at the bouquet in Skylar's hands, his expression an amusing mixture of excitement and pure terror. "Because I don't think he's ready for marriage just yet."

"Wait, I have to marry him?!" Skylar demanded, eyes going wide.

**Calla's POV**

The night was amazing, from the moment it started. The ceremony was incredible – Adam handled that absolutely wonderfully – and then my and Chase's first dance…it was absolutely flawless.

"All danced out?" My husband (I love that word so much) asked as I sat down next to him at our table. I laughed lightly as he put his arm around my shoulder.

"Bree's exhausting." I complained half-heartedly, watching my best friend twirl around the dance floor, forcing anyone she saw to dance with her. Leo, Kieran, Taylor, Katherine, Dani, Kaz, and Chase all laughed, nodding in agreement.

"Hey, isn't that Zoe?" Dani questioned, sitting down between Chase and Kaz.

"From the Olympic thing?" I questioned, looking around. Sure enough, dancing with Bob, Spin, AJ, was little Zoe Lalonde, that girl that competed against Bob in the mini Olympics. "Well, Bob did RSVP plus one…"

"Zoe, huh? She sounds nice." Taylor chuckled, shaking her head. "About time Bob has a crush on a girl his own age."

"I know, right?" I chuckled. The music changed then, to a slower song. Kieran looked at Taylor.

"Care to dance?" He asked, standing up and taking her hand. She smiled.

"Absolutely." She agreed, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor. Leo looked at Katherine.

"Do you wanna-" She shook her head, cutting him off.

"My feet hurt." She complained, kicking off her shoes. I looked back at the dance floor, where the couples had begun to dance. I smiled, seeing Mr. Davenport dance with Tasha while Adam babysat Naomi, and my parents who danced near the back. To my surprise, Logan and Kate were dancing (Leo had mentioned that they'd started to date, but I'd never given it much thought) and so had Jessica and her date, Owen.

Suddenly, Dani's cell phone went off. She grabbed it from her purse quickly, pausing when she saw the number on her caller ID.

"Everything alright?" Kaz asked, looking at her. She nodded and gave him a smile.

"Yeah, I just have to take this." She told him apologetically. She got up and started towards the bathrooms, where she'd be able to hear the call better. "Next song, we're dancing!" She called over her shoulder. Kaz grinned and got up.

"I'm going to go make sure the next song the DJ plays is the Chicken Dance." He declared, heading off to find the DJ Bree had hired.

"They're an interestin' couple." Katherine observed.

"That's one way to put it." Chase agreed. He glanced at his watch. "We're going to have to leave soon."

"For your honeymoon?" Skylar guessed as she and Oliver sat down.

"Yeah, we have to be at the airport in an hour." Chase replied.

"Which flight are we taking again?" I asked sweetly. He smirked.

"You'll find out when we get there." He told me. I groaned in annoyance.

"He still won't tell you where you're going?" Skylar guessed.

"No, and it's driving me nuts!" I exclaimed. Chase laughed and got up.

"I'm going to go say goodbye to Mr. Davenport and Tasha. I'll meet you at the car in ten minutes?"

"Okay." I agreed, leaning forward to kiss him before he went.

"Congratulations, Calla." Oliver told me sincerely. "You two deserve each other."

"Thank you." I smiled, then turned around in my seat so I was facing all of them directly. "Alright, Chase and I are going to be gone for three weeks. I need you guys to promise me that you won't do anything stupid while we're gone."

"Your faith in us is really touching. Really." Kaz told me, offended.

"Please, we all know that without some sort of supervision, one of you will either set the place on fire, freeze the entire Penthouse solid, or blow all the electricity in the building. And without MISS to keep an eye on you, I don't want to have to be stressed out the entire time about what's happening in our absence. So I need you to promise that you'll behave."

"We promise." Oliver assured me. I nodded.

"Dani too." I insisted. Skylar rolled her eyes.

"She's not going to do something stupid, Calla." She assured me.

**Dani's POV**

Well, I was about to do something stupid.

I stared down at my phone, trying to decide whether or not to answer it. I'd been waiting for this call for a while now, but now that I was receiving it, I wasn't sure I wanted to get involved with this.

It had been a bad idea from a start, going down this path, and I knew it. But after everything that happened with Mighty Med being destroyed, and then Roman and Riker and Reese almost taking over Centium City, maybe this was actually for the best. I'd always believed that sometimes you had to make hard decisions in order to go anywhere in life, and this was no exception. Still, despite this, I was hesitant.

Kaz was out in the party, waiting for him. I could go back to him, go back to the music and the dancing, and pretend that I hadn't gotten this call. She would understand, surely, why I couldn't get involved, right?

I stared at the phone for a long moment, then made a decision I knew I would live to regret: I took the call. I slowly brought the phone up to my ear, then took a deep breath before answering it.

"Hi Mom."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Calla, Chase, Bree, Jaden, Oliver, Skylar, Dani, and Kaz will return in The Power of Seven: Secrets


End file.
